A highly-anticipated documentary about James Baldwin is set for its world premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by filmmaker Raoul Peck, “I Am Not Your Negro” will be based on a hypothetical book that Baldwin never got to write. According to Shadow and Act, the book Baldwin envisioned was about three important black leaders who were assassinated: Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X.
According to TIFF, Baldwin was unable to finish the ambitious book idea before his death, so all that remains of the idea are letters sent to his literary agent and 30 pages of preliminary notes for the book. “I Am Not Your Negro” will be based mostly on Baldwin’s notes, and will explore not only the writer and activist’s life, but race in America as a whole. Samuel L. Jackson narrates the film.
Despite her talent and wit, Jones ― like many other black Americans ― will only be seen to some as a black woman not worthy of even the most basic levels of dignity and respect.
The bullying Jones constantly combats as a black comedienne is emblematic of the larger racial issues America still battles today. Racism is so deeply embedded into the fabric of this country that it is far from surprising, albeit painful to experience, when it is so frequently and casually expressed online.
Hopefully, Jones’ worst days are officially behind her but, ultimately, that fate will be decided by the the actions of her fellow Americans.
Donald Trump has had an interesting ongoing saga when it comes to his “relationship with the blacks.” It has been a rocky relationship for decades, despite his confidence that black people (like Ben Carson) love him.
“I will be great for African-Americans,” Trump declared in January. But will he really, though?
Trump has faced criticism when he initially failed to denounce the KKK, after former leader David Duke endorsed him for the presidency. His initial reaction to Duke’s endorsement, and his flippant dismissal of that reaction later on, is proof that he wouldn’t have the interests of people of color very high on his list of priorities as Commander-In-Chief.
Of course, in addition to Carson, Trump has many black supporters, including former “Apprentice” contestant Omarosa. While these supporters are certainly entitled to vote for or endorse whoever, perhaps it’s time to break down some of the things that suggest Donald Trump would not, in fact, be great for “the blacks."
Here’s the thing about Aaliyah: She was an undeniably talented singer and dancer, but she was also considered very beautiful by men and women, alike, and it wasn’t because of her curves. She had luscious lips, long hair, small boobs, and a petite frame. Plus, she had so much swag. She wore her hats to the back with baggy pants and was not a girly girl (during the first part of her career). Her girl next door demeanor stood out from the other women on the pop music scene at the time like Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey who were considered sex symbols because of their curves.
Aaliyah made it cool to be a not-so-curvy black woman because she had this confidence about her when performing. So I parted my hair to the side like her and accepted that my definition of what was considered beautiful was all wrong ― eventually I changed it to one that would actually include me and my body type. But it’s the presence of Aaliyah in pop culture that helped me to discover this unseen narrative of the black woman with a non-curvy body type, and seeing her made me feel like I wasn’t alone. After she died in 2001, I kept her posters on my wall, continued listening to her music and watching her in film as a reminder to myself that my blackness wasn’t defined by my body type.
We love feedback!
Dear reader, we love hearing from you and take every comment and review seriously. If you have 30 seconds to spare, please tap the button below and share your opinion on this newsletter with us.
Follow HuffPost on Facebook and Twitter
©2016 The Huffington Post | 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
You are receiving this email because you signed up for updates from the Huffington Post
Feedback | Privacy Policy | Unsubscribe
No comments:
Post a Comment