It would be easy to dismiss Purple Rain as a string of music videos with scenes of misogyny in between, but there is a deeper narrative of generational trauma and how a failed black revolution took its toll on the hearts and minds of Black men in America in the early 1980s. In his essay about the film “Is He Okay?” writer Elwin Cotman says “Black mental health is rarely treated with the respect shown in Purple Rain. This failure to consider Black lives in all their complexity contributes to the overall dehumanization of Black Americans, the violent and deadly repercussions of which are sickeningly familiar…”

The story of Purple Rain is the story of the blues. The song “Purple Rain” is the story of the redemption that comes with the new day. When you think of the colors on the color spectrum, Indigo stands out as the deepest hue of all. Much like the darkest of night to the dawning of a new day, it ranges from dark blue to the first shades of purple. That range of blue, that depth of darkness to light, is precisely what one feels when listening to the blues. The blues as a music genre emerged in African-American communities of the southern United States around the end of the 19th century and told stories of adversity, despair, longing, and the emotional struggles of their everyday life. Purple is connected to spirituality, mysticism, nobility, wisdom, dignity, independence, and hope.

In my presentation, Bluer than Blue, I intend to reveal how Purple Rain is more than meets the eye, a multi-dimensional story told not only by the musical performances and dialog but also through symbolic colorscape, imagery, and fashion. I will also make the connections between what this film shows us about mental health in the Black community and how the performance of the song “Purple Rain” takes us all to the promised land.

Robin Shumays is a multi-talented artist and designer based in Queens, N.Y. She’s the creative force behind the dazzling and edgy fashion brand hennaflower, which has made its mark on NYC runways during shows for Harlem Fashion Week and Africa Fashion Week, among others.

Robin’s creativity doesn’t stop at fashion; she is currently studying classic burlesque, acting, and singing in order to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming the ultimate theater kid. She is also a co-founder and dancer with Zikrayat, an Arabic Music and Dance Ensemble that has performed at venues such as Lincoln Center and Brooklyn Museum. In the world of day jobs, she has worked in web development, graphic design, social media strategy, and is currently a User Experience Engineer at Guardian Life.

A die-hard Prince fan since 1984, Robin is proud to have presented several papers on his work over the last few years. In 2021, she presented “Punk, Paisleys and Polkadots” at the 78-88: Prince, The First Decade: Interdisciplinary Conference. In 2022 and 2023 she presented “Bedlah Bedlam: An Exploration of Orientalist Fantasy and Fashion Via the Lens of Prince Rogers Nelson” and “Like a (Nasty) Girl Group” at the #SexyMF30 and #TripleThreat40 symposia. She produces and co-hosts a webinar podcast on Prince called The Purple Paradigm with her bestie, Dr. Mauri De Govia. Once upon a time, Robin even held a short-lived dream job as an administrative assistant at Paisley Park Music (Paisley’s short-lived music publishing wing). 

Of all of her varied career and creative pursuits, Robin’s most treasured role is that of a mother to a very sweet and talented teen daughter.