Since 1987, Mavis Beacon has been teaching anyone with access to a computer and the software “Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing” how to do just that. An early AI instructor, Mavis Beacon was also a Black woman whose legacy means something, especially to those who felt represented by her. In the new documentary Seeking Mavis Beacon, the queer filmmaking team of director Jazmin Renée Jones and Olivia McKayla Ross put on their “girl detective” hats and excavate Mavis Beacon’s larger meaning.
In the clip above, one of the people interviewed shares what Mavis Beacon meant to them.
“The people I was learning from, the images of instructors, and what is called to mind when we think of someone being instructive, informative, or like the authority on how to do something, it wasn’t dark-skinned Black women,” the documentary subject says. “I remember being stoked in part because I was like, Now y’all are going to learn from a Black woman — Mavis Beacon.”
Olivia McKayla Ross and Jazmin Renée Jones search for Mavis Beacon Courtesy NEON
The official synopsis for the film from NEON reads:
“The most recognizable woman in technology lives in our collective imagination. Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing taught millions globally, but the software’s Haitian-born cover model vanished decades ago. Two DIY detectives search for the model while posing questions about identity and artificial intelligence.”
Jazmin Renée Jones searches for Mavis BeaconCourtesy NEON
Jones and Ross infuse the documentary with humor, intellect, history, and curiosity as they set out to find the real Mavis Beacon. A voiceover in the trailer suggests, “Black women have a tremendous amount to say, a tremendous frenzy of brain storm to process. Maybe she’s the natural spokesmodel for that.”
The film is punctuated by a stunning original score by Fatima Al Qadiri.
Seeking Mavis Beacon Opens in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago on Sept. 6 and in select additional cities Sept. 13.
- YouTubewww.youtube.com
Olivia McKayla Ross and Jazmin Renée Jones search for Mavis Beacon Courtesy NEON
Jazmin Renée Jones searches for Mavis BeaconCourtesy NEON
