I Am Not Your Negro
"I Am Not Your Negro"
Filmmaker: Raoul Peck
The filmmaker tells the story of race in modern America with connections to the past. He makes the point that racism still exists and hasn't changed much. He tells his story and experiences and allows the audience to see and hear his perspective of the world around him. In the film we hear him say that growing up there was no one resembling him on the TV screen and the ones who were, he couldn't relate to because they were pretending and not portraying the real world he was living in. The heroes on TV were white which was a reflection of power. One line during this part of the documentary stood out to me:
"Every face you see is white - you assume you are too.
You think you fit into your home, until your told that you don't."
The next part that stood out to me was the talk show interview. The white man was questioning "Why group men by color? Can't people be related in other ways?" It is a question often wondered in a majority group of people that has never felt oppressed or been a victim of racism. The answer given was that when you are afraid of the world around you, how can you succeed? You can't say for sure that a group of people hate you, but the conditions of where you live, what jobs are available you, the schools and healthcare system in your neighborhood make you feel that way.
"You cannot imagine the price paid by the victims for your way of life, so you cannot afford to know why the victims are revolting"
The question I ended with is what can be done? How do we move forward and what can be done now? Acknowledging the past, not being blind and acting like it never happened is part of the solution. Being aware of the mistakes and the struggles people went through. Trying to understand what it feels like and allowing people to express their feelings without being defensive. Although you will never truly understand what it is like to walk in someone else's shoes, you can listen and learn.
"Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it has ben faced. History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. If we pretend otherwize we literally are criminals."
I think the image you chose of the child with the quote "Racism isn't born folks, it's taught!" is truly powerful. It seems so simple, right? If children were taught to love and respect others for who they are as human beings then we would end this cycle of hate, right? Why then can't we be better teachers to educate our children in our own homes and at school to treat people with equality? I think those in power need a lot of reteaching too. Honoring mistakes and making changes for the better is more helpful than doing nothing.
ReplyDelete"Every face you see is white - you assume you are too.
ReplyDeleteYou think you fit into your home, until your told that you don't." This is such a powerful quote. It is difficult to relate to something unless you have personally dealt with these experiences first hand but I believe that Baldwin did an exceptional job giving a vivid portrayal of being black in America during the 60's and 70's.
Yes, as Tori and Lauren said, these quotes, and in fact nearly everything James Baldwin wrote or said, are indeed powerful. He makes terribly persuasive arguments that, at times, get standing ovations, and yet as you pointed out, little changes. I think we, as teachers and as people on earth, not only have to try and understand the points of view of students of color, especially the underprivileged ones, but we have to examine ourselves, to understand where we are coming from, to understand our extraordinary privilege and good fortune and especially recognize who had to suffer to get us where we are today. That is, according to Baldwin, our responsibility as White Americans.
ReplyDelete"It is a question often wondered in a majority group of people that has never felt oppressed or been a victim of racism. " --> This is such an important point! And we must think deeply about the ways in which white domination over "the questions" is a way of framing and managing social issues -- that is, if white folks (or other dominant groups, e.g. men if we're talking about sexism) get to define the problem, they get to offer the solutions on their terms -- on terms that don't threaten their race-based advantages. And white people, because we haven't experienced racism, often have very skewed views of it -- or think it doesn't really exist at all anymore. Provocative post, Jessica.
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