"[4] Larkin is considered to be part of the second wave (or generation) of these revolutionary black filmmakers, along with Julie Dash and Billy Woodberry.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities in the Creative Writing program at the University of Southern California, graduating in 1975.
[9] Larkin then registered at UCLA's prestigious film school in the Motion Picture/Television Program, graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1982.
[2] A retrospective of her works, including a documentary on the making of "A Different Image," were set to screen on Friday, December 2, 2011, as part of a major film series, "L.A.
"[16] Larkin has been described as a filmmaker who has "greatly contributed to the advances of black women in the ongoing struggle for representation".
[17] She is also considered to be among the most influential African American independent filmmakers, a group that has "committed to developing a film language to respectfully express cultural particularity and Black thought.