racism – Movie Scene Queen

Dozens of films have been created to depict the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—but none have been as riveting and piercing as ‘Selma’. In delicate detail, the movie highlights the three 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches which ultimately led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The movie also resurfaces sensitive topics like MLK’s marital infidelity, FBI wire tapings and intimidation tactics, and the initial pushback from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC).

Directed by Ava DuVernay, the movie has a crowded lineup including David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Common, Lorraine Toussaint, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. Oyelowo and Ejogo were spitting images of the Nobel Peace Prize recipient and his late wife. From voice to posture to presentation, the pair is the most potent part of the film. Their lonesome moments together on screen echoes true unification of one of the greatest couples of all time.

Even some of the notable moments in history makes your whole body shake in disbelief when ‘Selma’ reenacts the occurrences. For example, the 4 little girls and the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church is one of the country’s most heinous crimes. We ought to all be familiar with it, but for some reason when DuVernay gives her rendition of the bombing it takes cinematic recreation to a whole new level.

The same approaches civil rights activists displayed in 1965 are mirror images of the work being committed today. Riots and protests have emerged all over the country for Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner. In my mind the biggest uproar has been in the small suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. Ferguson has drawn thousands of people in hope to get answers and justice.

Selma is the ideal learning tool for this Black History Month. As the first major motion picture depicting Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, ‘Selma’ can be a direct connection to opening up conversation about other tense cities like Watts in 1965, Los Angeles in 1992, and even, Ferguson in 2014.

Gun violence and police brutality in 2015 is what voting rights was in 1965– a call to action to promote unity and change. Fifty years later, racially motivated disparities of the world are an opportunity to respond like they did in Selma. Anytime we witness a racial injustice or inequality it is our duty to mount up in the same fashion as the leaders in Selma.

The most rewarding part of Selma is the showcase of the unsung heroes like Coretta Scott King, Andrew Young, Viola Liuzzo, John Lewis, James Reeb, and Ralph Abernathy. American history injects lethal amount of untold truths surrounding African American history. As a child, I was taught the bare minimum about slavery and Martin Luther King Jr. was the poster child for the Civil Rights Movements. It is pure excitement when movies like Selma, 12 Years A Slave, and Lee Daniels’ The Butler can bring cinematic clarity to these unknown circumstances of historical events.

DuVernay wasted no time getting straight to the point. My only question is: Where has Ava DuVernay been? Although she has other smaller film projects, we, as movie spectators, need more from her cinematic bank. Her delivery was mere perfection and visually, trumps every introductory African American History course by strategically focusing on the height of Dr. Martin Luther King’s career and intricate details that surrounded it.

5 STARS: ‘Selma’ is the best film of 2014 and serves a timely purpose in the wake of the civil rights and liberties that are currently being taken advantage of. This film is a fruitful yet frightening, gut-wrenching yet glorious reminder that Selma was just a battle in an on-going race war.

An ongoing race war explodes when White students host a Black hip-hop themed Halloween party on an Ivy League campus in Dear White People. Starring Tyler James Williams, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, and Dennis Haysbert, this was no ordinary college party. This event, which has actually taken place on campuses like Pennsylvania State and Arizona State Universities, literally included black painted faces, dreadlock wigs, fake guns, and loose imitation gold chains. Mockery at its finest!

The plot line is stronger than a racist college party though, reopening a can of worms that Spike Lee has been using as race bait since 1988. Dear White People is Do The Right Thing (1989), School Daze (1988) and Jungle Fever (1991) neatly rolled into one tongue-biting package. Director Justin Simien pays mad respect to the Brooklyn native and every serious message he has ever tried to convey. Lee is notably mentioned in the movie, solidifying my exact premonition- Dear White People is a deep deference to the type of movies Spike Lee has created.

The movie kindles the most perpetuated stereotypes from educated Black men only desiring White women to Black women confirming to the physical looks that society demands. Black women rock long, blonde weaves (which I have done before) and tote obviously unnatural eye colors (never), while White women put unknown substances in and on their body to look voluptuous and darker. A lot of overlapping issues such as societal configuration and self-image all closely aligned with racism and the overall theme of the film.

Tyler James Williams has emerged from his Everybody Hates Chris shadows and blossomed into a well-diverse young man. The 22-year-old, who most recently made his first appearance on this week’s episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead, plays a homosexual outcast named Lionel Higgins. In a matter of 108 minutes, makes Williams’ character a reflection of America’s deepest fears- homophobia and xenophobia.

Watching Dear White People should be the prerequisite to every post-secondary course surround race relations and film. The movie serves as our modern day Higher Learning (1995), pushing the envelope with just a little bit more pizzazz and intellect. Justin Simien, even in his beginning stage, is sitting on more than just a film festival favorite, it’s truly a goldmine.
This movie also positively eludes to the fact that ‘some’, not all, White people are insensitive racists. And the racist enemy can also be our own filled with self-hatred. But in order for the world to have courageous conversions about race in this country this movie is not only important, but a necessity for all.

For my own personal application, and by default, I find myself being the Sam White in every meeting and movie theater- the woman with good intentions but previously labeled as the angry Black woman. At times, being forced to speak for other African Americans who may not know their rights or even some who are unaware of the fight. Most times as the only African American in a room filled with White colleagues, it is my duty to not make my presence a burden but rather an asset.

5 STARS: The overall battle of race in America is a never-ending quarrel. It is films like Dear White People that bring the most penetrating issues to the forefront of mainstream media. Black directors like Justin Simien, Spike Lee, Ryan Coogler, and Steve McQueen are taking real life accounts and creating timeless cinema.

Dear White People,

I urge you to see Dear White People. Don’t assume this film is a tactic of reverse racism. Yet, open your minds and hearts to witness a fictional glimpse of actual racial turbulence. Matter of fact, everyone should see this movie- not just White people.

Much Love,

Movie Scene Queen

Tag: racism

Selma

Dear White People Pays Homage to Spike Lee