Lee Daniels’ newest film is all about letting go of your demons — literally. 

“The Deliverance” follows Ebony (Andra Day), an alcoholic mother who is trying to raise her children by herself after her husband is shipped off to Iraq. Her mother and the children’s grandmother, Alberta (Glenn Close), who used to live a rough life before finding religion, joins her. The family moves into a new home in Pennsylvania, where the children become demonically possessed. With the help of Reverend Bernice James (Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor), Ebony must save her family from evil spirits, and in turn, save herself. 

The film is about demonic possession in the literal sense, but also about how our inner demons — whether they be addiction, anger, or any other negative influence — can limit us from becoming our best selves. Daniels tells theGrio exclusively that he was originally pitched the movie years ago, but had to go on his own spiritual journey before he could direct the film. 

“When it was presented to me a long time ago, after ‘Precious,’ I didn’t want to do it because Ebony was hitting her kids,” Daniels explains. “I didn’t want to repeat that. I just didn’t want to do that thing about abuse. I didn’t want to do it because I truly believe that I’m an open portal when I’m working. I didn’t want that [evil] on me, but I realized that, many, many years later, we’re in dark times.” 

“I’m here to scare you to your higher power,” he continues. “For me, it’s Jesus. For [others], it could be Allah or Buddha, or whoever your higher power is. But to bring you to a higher spirituality, because I found myself not in a place of [a] spiritualist prior to this [film].” 

Cautious of evil spirits, Daniels says he prayed every day with the cast and crew before filming and had a pastor on set. The director was very intentional about who he wanted in the production and that list included actress Mo’Nique, with whom Daniels had a 13-year feud. 

The two clashed in 2009 when Mo’Nique declined to promote Daniels’ film “Precious,” in which she starred. In 2022, Daniels apologized to Mo’Nique, who won an Oscar for her performance, ending their feud and paving the way for the creation of their 2023 film “The Reading” and “The Deliverance.”

Daniels tells theGrio that reconciling with Mo’Nique, who stars as social worker Cynthia Henry in the film, was “part of finding my higher power.” 

“[I learned] that I had to forgive and I had to show forgiveness. I had to apologize,” Daniels says. “And not only apologize, but apologize publicly. And not only apologize publicly, but say, ‘Hey girl, let’s hit it again.’ But not only, ‘let’s hit it again,’ but let me put you in something that’s the complete opposite of what it is that you did [in ‘Precious’]. I’m gonna put you in some Gucci and jewelry, even though social workers don’t make that kind of money. We’re gonna have fun.” 

“I get emotional even talking about it now, because it was a reunion with my sister that I can’t even talk about,” he adds. “It felt cozy. It felt like, ‘I’m never going to let [a feud] happen again.’”

Daniels and Mo’Nique’s reconciliation points to another theme in “The Deliverance”: believing and celebrating Black women. When Ebony first reports the supernatural occurrences happening in her home, no one believes her. Daniels wants audiences to learn through the film that they should believe Black women when they speak out. 

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“So often, Black women aren’t believed. Look at Kamala Harris today, you know what I mean?” Daniels says. “It’s incredible. We don’t believe Black women. And for me, it was about making sure that our women were believed. That was really a crucial part of [the film]. I work so well with Black women. They grew me. They protected me. My aunts protected me as a kid. And so, I celebrate them, and their flaws, and their beauties, and their complications. I’m fascinated. For me, I was in a playground [on set].”

“The Deliverance” is now available to stream on Netflix. 

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) marks a historic feat for Kamala Harris. On Thursday, she will officially become the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to clinch the presidential nomination from a major political party.

It’s a moment that can be seen as Democrats’ long-owed debt to Black women, who, for decades, have been regarded as the political backbone of the racially and ethnically diverse party. 

“For me, as a Black woman, I look at it from the standpoint of Shirley Chisholm‘s legacy really being paid back by the party in nominating and embracing this Black woman to make her the most powerful person in the country,” said Joy Reid, host of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” told theGrio.

More than 50 years before Harris’ historic rise in American politics, Chisholm made history in 1972 when she launched her glass-shattering presidential campaign. The then-two-term U.S. congresswoman made history as the first Black person — and first Black woman — to run for the White House.

“The country was clearly not ready … this is four years after the assassination of Dr. [Martin Luther] King, and the country was not ready to shift the conversation from race to feminism,” explained Reid, who this week joins MSNBC’s superstar anchor lineup for the network’s special live DNC coverage in Chicago.

Despite Chisholm’s unsuccessful bid for the presidency, Black women’s organizing and election turnout resulted in major wins for the Democratic Party over the ensuing years. 

“Black women have been so foundational to the Democratic Party in the last two generations,” said Reid.

The journalist and theGrio alum acknowledged the pioneering Black women who worked behind the scenes in Democratic politics, paving the windy road for Harris’ ascent to the top of the ticket with her vice presidential running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. 

Those women include members of the self-described “Colored Girls,” comprised of Minyon Moore, chair of this year’s DNC; Donna Brazile, former Democratic National Committee chairwoman; Leah Daughtry, co-chair of this year’s DNC rules committee; and Yolanda Caraway. All four women got their start in Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign.

Despite the pioneering efforts of Black women in politics, Reid lamented that only a handful of Black women have served in the U.S. Senate (a shortlist that includes Harris), and none have been elected governor, despite the notable efforts of Stacey Abrams. 

“Black women have not gotten a lot of power in return,” Reid told theGrio. “Black women have carried this party for so long and worked so hard and worked so diligently without a lot of recompense.”

It was that lack of progress and frustration that led the very same Black women who helped reshape the party to organize once more to ensure President Joe Biden selected Harris as his running mate in 2020. They also pushed the 46th president of the United States to nominate Ketanji Brown Jackson as the first Black woman to serve in the U.S. Supreme Court. 

Organizing aside, Reid says Harris’ emergence as the Democratic Party’s standard bearer should come as no surprise to those who have paid close attention to her. 

“She’s been on the radar of a lot of us who’ve been covering politics for a long time,” said Reid, who recalled Barack Obama, America’s first Black president, naming Harris as “most likely to be the next him.”

Reid said she remembered Harris as a standout on Tavis Smiley’s “The State of the Black Union” in the early 2000s. Though her first launch for president in 2020 ended shortly before the first Democratic primary contest, Reid maintained that Harris “had really shown her political ability in that campaign.”

The MSNBC host continued, “She didn’t get nominated at the time, but she did well enough and was compelling enough to particularly Black women voters that it seemed to me inevitable that she would be the choice of Joe Biden for vice president.”

What did surprise Reid was the party’s “full-throated, enthusiastic … [and] almost celebrity-level embrace” of Harris. 

“We haven’t seen that with any Black woman who’s raised her hand for a political office … and to see it come not just from Black women,” she said. “White women are excited. White men are excited. Black men are excited. Latinas and AAPI folks.”

As various groups of the voting electorate unite against an “anti-democracy movement” led by Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, Reid said there’s a sense of urgency for “anyone who cares about equality and equity.” 

“The idea that ‘We’re not going back’ … is like urgent,” she said, in reference to the spontaneous slogan for the Harris for president campaign.  

Reid added, “I think she is walking into an urgency that is making her campaign possible and is making it popular.”

Of course, with fewer than 80 days left until Election Day on Nov. 5, many voters still don’t know a lot about Harris and Walz. Reid said the role she and others in the news media will play in shaping the coverage of the historic campaign will be crucial. 

“We’re sort of introducing two relatively new figures on the American stage. So we have to cover them robustly,” she urged. “And at the same time, we have to remind people that the risks are still very real.”

In the meantime, Harris continues to ride a wave of enthusiasm that shows no signs of slowing down. Reid acknowledged that the vice president’s unique identity can’t be ignored. 

“At a certain point, a country needs its mama,” said Reid. “It’s partly her and her own ability, and it’s partly a sort of deep-seated and deeply felt need in this country to have, like a sister, friend, auntie … a female presence to make the country feel better about itself.”

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Beloved actress Danielle Fishel has opened up about her recent breast cancer diagnosis, sharing the heartbreaking news with fans on her podcast, “Pod Meets World.”

The former “Boy Meets World” star revealed that she was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early stage of breast cancer. Thankfully, the cancer was caught extremely early, placing her at “technically stage zero.”

Fishel expressed gratitude for the early detection, emphasizing the importance of regular check-ups. “If you have to find out you have cancer, find out at stage zero if possible,” she urged listeners.

While facing a challenging journey ahead, Fishel remains optimistic and assures fans that her health is her top priority.Her co-hosts and former on-screen partners, Rider Strong and Will Friedle, were among the first to offer their support.

Fans and colleagues alike have sent an outpouring of love and well wishes to Fishel as she begins her treatment.

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CHICAGO (AP) — Crowds of activists are expected to gather in Chicago for protests outside the Democratic National Convention this week, hoping to call attention to such issues as economic injustice, reproductive rights and the war in Gaza.

While Vice President Kamala Harris has galvanized the party as she gears up to accept the Democratic nomination, activists say their plans to demonstrate haven’t changed. They’re ready to amplify their progressive message before the nation’s top Democratic leaders.

Their issues cover climate change, abortion rights and racial equality, to name a few, but many activists agree an immediate cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war is the overarching message of the demonstrations. They’ve likened it to the Vietnam War of their generation. The Chicago area has one of the largest Palestinian communities in the nation and buses are bringing activists to Chicago from all over the country. Organizers estimate turnout for Monday’s march and rally, on the first day of the convention, to be at least 20,000 people.

“We have to play our part in the belly of the beast to stop the genocide, to end U.S. aid to Israel and stand with Palestine,” said Hatem Abudayyeh, a spokesperson for the Coalition to March on the DNC.

The coalition is made up of hundreds of organizations, including students. Activists say they learned lessons from last month’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. They expect bigger crowds and more robust demonstrations through the week.

The first protest on Sunday night brought together those calling for abortion and LGBTQ+ rights and an end to the war in Gaza. The march lasted for hours, along a route lined by police, and showed no signs of major conflicts. Chicago police said two people were arrested on misdemeanor charges of resisting police and damaging property.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who was under consideration as Harris’ running mate, said peaceful protests were welcome.

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“There are a lot of people who are inside the hall who will believe in some of those messages and carry that with them,” Pritzker told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “But importantly, the Democratic Party doesn’t shut people out and disallow them from expressing their First Amendment rights.”

But some have lingering safety concerns, worried that protests could become unpredictable or devolve into chaos.

Chicago, which has hosted more political conventions than any other U.S. city, has been unable to escape comparisons to the infamous 1968 convention where police and anti-Vietnam War protesters violently clashed on live television.

Some businesses boarded up their windows as a precaution and county courts said they would open more space in case of mass arrests. Chicago police say officers have undergone extensive training on constitutional policing and de-escalation tactics.

Coalition activists and the city have been at odds over the location of the protests and other logistics. A judge sided with the city over an approximately 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) march route, which organizers argue isn’t big enough for the expected crowds. Abudayyeh said the coalition would continue to push for a much longer route until the march started on Monday.

Also Monday, the Philadelphia-based Poor People’s Army, which advocates for economic justice, plans to set up at Humboldt Park on the northwest side of Chicago and will feature events with third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West, plus a 3-mile (5-kilometer) march.

Aside from the protests the city is also hosting a speakers’ stage at a park outside the convention center with 45-minute time slots. Most of the organizations who’ve signed up have the same progressive agenda as the coalition, but the list also includes the Israeli American Council and the conservative-leaning Illinois Policy Institute. A local firefighters union is also hoping to call attention to their contract fight with the city.

“The First Amendment is fundamental to our democracy,” Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a former union organizer, told the AP in an interview last week. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect the right to assemble in protest.”