The search for the face behind Mavis Beacon learns to type

An anonymous reader quotes a Wired report: Jazmin Jones knows what she’s done. “When you’re online, there’s this idea of ​​trolling,” Jones, the director behind Seeking Mavis Beacon, said during a recent panel for her new documentary. “For this project, we take some things incredibly seriously … and other things we troll. We’re trolling this idea of ​​a detective because we’re also, like, ACAB.” Her trolling was for a good reason, though. Jones and fellow filmmaker Olivia Mckayla Ross did it in hopes of finding the woman behind Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing. The popular teaching tool was released in 1987 by The Software Toolworks, a California-based video game and software company that produced educational chess, reading and math games. Mavis, the game’s de facto “mascot,” is a Black woman dressed in professional attire and a slicked-back bun. While Mavis Beacon wasn’t a real person, Jones and Ross say she was one of the first examples of Black representation they saw in the tech world. In search of Mavis Beacon, which opened in New York City on August 30 and will roll out to other cities in September, they are trying to unravel the story behind the face, which appeared on the tool’s packaging and later as part of its interface.

The film finds the duo setting up a detective’s office, chatting over FaceTime, running up to people on the street, and even tracking down a family member connected to the ever-elusive Mavis. But along the way, they’re led to another question they didn’t initially anticipate: What are the implications of sexism, racism, privacy, and exploitation in a world where you can present yourself however you want? Using shots of computer screens, in-depth analysis of archival footage, and interviews, the noir-style documentary reveals that Mavis Beacon is actually Renee L’Esperance, a black model from Haiti who was paid $500 for her likeness with no royalties, despite the show selling millions of copies. (…)

In a world where anyone can create images of people of any race, gender, or sexual orientation without having to fully compensate the real people who inspired them, Jones and Ross are working to preserve not only the data behind Mavis Beacon , but also the humanity behind the software. During the panel, which was hosted by Black Girls in Media, Ross explained that the film’s social media presence provides a way for Mavis Beacon users to share what the game has meant to them, for archival purposes. “On some level, Olivia and I are trolling ideas of worlds where we never felt safe or protected,” Jones said during the panel. “And in other ways, it’s honoring this legacy of cyberfeminism and historians and healthcare workers that we owe so much to.” You can watch the trailer for “Seeking Mavis Beacon” on YouTube.