By ANDREAS BUTLER | DAYTONA TIMES
(Source Daytona Times)
Daytona Beach native Shanita Brown, 48, passed on Sept. 3.
Brown worked with the Volusia
County School District as a substitute teacher.
She also was an award-winning independent film writer, director and producer. She made short films lasting 10 to 30 minutes.
In a 2023 Daytona Times interview, Brown said she wanted to portray Black people, particularly Black women, positively in her films.
Brown’s funeral is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13 at R.J. Gainous Funeral Home at 804 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd., Daytona Beach.
Visitation is the same day at the same location from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. prior to the funeral. Gainous-Wynn Funeral Home is in charge of arraignments.
Monieka Wilson lives in Orlando but is a longtime friend, travel buddy and former co-worker.
“I’ll miss her smile. No matter what she was experiencing, she always smiled through it. She always said that God had her. We stayed connected, always on the phone or texting. We had a long lasting friendship and tough conversations. Our friendship was joyful and jovial. We traveled, danced and partied. We both loved to dance,’’ Wilson said.
Brown’s daughter, Za’Ria Gentle, went a step further in remembering her mother.
Gentle told the Daytona Times, “There are no words to describe what type of woman she was. Her person- ality, passion, drive and perseverance will be missed. She lit up the room when she walked in. She was always willing to help anybody. She was a warrior. She never let anything stop her from pursuing her dreams. That’s why nobody really knew she had cancer.”
Spruce Creek, UCF grad
Shanita Brown was born Shanita Cox to Willie Cox, Sr. and Debora Parchman on July 20, 1977, in Daytona Beach.
As a child, she loved dance and was involved in it.
Brown graduated from Spruce Creek High School in 1995.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in legal studies from the University of Central Florida in 2003.
Brown also earned a master’s degree in science and pre-law from Kaplan University.
She also earned an associate’s degree at Daytona State College in 2000.
Film career
Brown worked as an actor and even did production work for TV, film and Youtube working the camera and other roles. She also worked as a talent agent for models and actors.
In 2022, Brown made the transition to making her own films.
Her 2023 film, “Paper Napkins,” won her a Best Drama award at the Orlando International Film Festival.
Brown’s film “Mine Since Birth” (2022) won nine awards, including Best Woman Filmmaker at the Critics Choice International Film Festival (2022) and Best Director at the Spring Time International Film Festival (2023).
Her film “Brownstown” (2022) won Best Sci-Fi Film at the Critics Choice International Film Festival (2023) and Best Short Sci-Fi Film at the Golden Minds Film Festival (2023).
She has made seven short films and 12 awards.
Brown is preceded in death by her father Willie Cox, Sr.
She is survived by her husband of 21 years, Orinthius Brown; mother, Debra Parchment; five brothers: Brian Cox, Shane Cox, Oren Avery, Willie Cox, Jr. and Leviticus Cox; daughters: Jazzmen Gentle and Za’Ria Gentle; sons: Hajj Gentle, Jr. and Orius Brown and eight grandchildren.