Hope Jackson, Dr. Jackson if you're conscious

The African-American Film and Culture class was definitely an experience this semester. Through the use of independent films we were able to explore the deep-seated biases toward African-Americans in the film industry. Honestly. I wish we were able to further explore colorism and how it plays a vital role in casting African-American actors and actresses. I also wanted to focus more on why African-American actor/actresses choose the films they want to play in and what that says about what being black means to them. Overall, I appreciated the colorful course Dr. Jackson provided this semester and I look forward to enrolling and recommending her courses to many other students. I suggest that future students keep and open mind and realize that although many films are entertaining there is always a deeper meaning behind the actual screenplay.

 
 

Black, Female, & Proud

Hollywood got the message more than two decades ago that it should feature more roles for black people but still hadn’t quite figured out how to do this. The two possible approaches were: to cast blacks in roles written for whites; or to create roles especially for them and to tell stories about them or which at least take them into account.

Ava DuVernay’s films emphasize and teach the importance of owning not only who you are as an artist but as a person. DuVernay is creating an identity for herself as a black woman filmmaker, which is pivotal considering this industry was designed not only to appeal and tell stories that portrayed blacks in a negative light and subservient roles but, was never thought to ever consider woman as filmmakers or directors. A black Compton-born film publicist turned director is creating films that teaches blacks, most importantly black woman, that being defined as not only a woman in the industry but as a black woman filmmaker is more than doable and its perfectly acceptable if that’s the lens through which you’re working. It is something to be proud of. Ava DuVernay teaches us that we do not have to fit into the dominant culture; you can say and be proud of what you are.

Not Just Another Bimbo

"Shake your money maker like somebody's about to pay ya!". I truly believe this song lyric made famous by rapper Ludacris clearly depicts what has become of the  female body in today's society. If your body is not barely clothed, gyrating to the latest hit club song then more likely than not, no one is paying close attention. In society today, bodies, especially the female body, are being exploited. Most women are either enhancing or correcting what they believe to be flaws to become an exaggerated representation of the "ideal" female. You rarely ever see many bodies become famous while clothed. Many celebrities have been "under the knife" at least once. It never ceases to amaze me how these images and depictions of women are so well received.

Kim Kardashian known for her large derriere "broke the Internet" with her nude pictorial spread in Paper magazine, however, many critics, including myself,  believe that her images are nothing more than a continued exploitation and fetishism of the black female body.

Many celebrities are lashing out against perpetuated stereotypes. Recently actress Zendaya called out fashion magazine Modeliste for altering her images to make her look lighter and slimmer. The actress was appalled to find out that the magazine had manipulated her appearance. 

Her Instagram caption read "Had a new shoot come out today and was shocked when I found my 19 year old hips and torso quite manipulated. These are the things that make women self conscious, that create the unrealistic ideals of beauty that we have. Anyone who knows who I am knows that I stand for honest and pure self love. So I took it upon myself to release the real pic (right side) and I love it. Thank you @modelistemagazine for pulling down the images and fixing this retouch issue." 

Low Cost, High Quality

“It Ain’t About The Money”

Race films have evolved into what people recognize as independent films or cinema today. At the start of production until now, most African-American films have not focus on expense as much as theme and overall perception by the audience. Race films were produced exclusively for Blacks to tell authentic Black stories.  With that background, what resonates the most with me about Black cinema or the discussion of African-American film is the production value.

I appreciate the frugality and passion displayed by early African-American filmmakers. Although Black films were considered low art, African-American film writers accomplished the mission of providing an alternative view of Black lives and culture than that which has be displayed over the years. Manthia Diawara explains how “filmmakers’ independence from Hollywood enables then to put on the screen Black lives and concerns that derive from the complexity of Black communites. Early independent film makers and current Black film writers typically do not focus on displays of African-American poverty and social decay but instead display African Americans as educated, genteel protagonists which is very refreshing in comparison to the usual display of uneducated drug addicts.