CNN Presents: Black in America (2008 TV Movie) User Reviews

The Wounds of Colorism

[josha-18633 · 7/10 · 9 September 2019]

What makes one Black in America; is it the culture, the shared experience, the color of one's skin, or is it a combination of everything? In this review of the film Who is Black in America? I will summarize the main points so that you can get an understanding of what it is about, as well as inform you why I thought that this film was extremely thought provoking and I will also tell you what I thought was good and not so good about the documentary.

In this documentary, Who is Black in America?, there is a constant discussion of who is actually considered Black in America. This story is told through a handful of people who are currently or have previously struggled with their racial identity. There is a spotlight put on two women who are currently having this dilemma of who they are racially, Nayo Jones and Becca Kahlil. Nayo Jones, a seventeen year old singer, poet, and high school senior, has struggled with her racial identity all of her life. She does not identity as Black because she does not think culturally she grew up in a Black home. Becca Kahlil, who is also a spoken word poet, has struggled with her racial identity her entire life too. She has categorized herself as Black, despite what other people say she is. Throughout the documentary, there are points where someone will attempt to define what it means to be Black in America. There was someone who said it is the color of your skin, there was someone who said it has to do with the "Black experience", and there was also someone who said that society will ultimately define who is and who is not Black. At all of these points in the documentary, I immediately had to stop and think about what was said for a minute and truly process it for what it meant.

I thought this documentary has many bright spots. I thought that the way it displays how colorism is very much alive today was very spot on. In order for peopele to see colorism in its essence, the moment when Saphia Washington, Becca's friend, straight-fowardly said that she did not believe Becca was truly Black because Becca does not experience discrimination on the same level, was much needed. Saphia also went into how society views people and how no matter what, Becca won't be looked at by society the same way as she is, based upon her skin color. Whether or not Saphia is right or not about the discrimination she is faced with, she is still endorsing colorism here. She is saying that someone is not Black because their skin tone is lighter than hers. I also thought that there were a great amount of perspectives on this topic of who is Black throughout the film. There was a tremendous range of lighter skinned people, as well as darker skinned people. Although the two people who the film was widely focused on were lighter skinned, I thought that gave a great perspective of the viewpoint of people who do not think they are Black enough to confidently identify as Black. For example, Nayo, who is biracial Black and White, did not identify as Black because she did not think she had a "Black experience" growing up. Growing up she did not have her mom, who was Black, so she never got to fully experience the Black side of her family. All of these moments in the film gave it a thought-provoking quality that I believe every documentary should try to achieve.

There were very few parts of the documentary that I did not like. The number one thing I did not like was a White person giving their "expert" opinion on a topic such as colorism. I feel as if a white person doesn't belong in a documentary literally about what it means to be Black. I get that they wanted to include a White guy who is supposedly knowledgeable on the topic, but I don't know that I would prefer his perspective over including another expert who is Black, and who would have experienced what it means to be Black.

Throughout this review you got a greater understanding about what the film Who is Black in America? is about. You also got to know what I thought was good, as well as what I thought was not so good. This film was extremely thought provoking to me and I would recommend it to anyone who would like to learn a bit more about colorism and the forms it can take. I have one question for you, will you let society define who you are or will you define yourself?

Who Determines How you can Define?

[sierrahausthor · 9/10 · 9 September 2019]

Can you be too white to be black? Maybe too black to be white? This documentary was made to inform and question large ideas connected to colorism and racial identity in America. The film is personal and direct and by doing this it made these issues feel immediate and like a call to action for its audience. It felt as though the entire objective of the film was to have the viewer question in themselves the broad ideas in reference to the world of racial identity that the people in the film discussed and struggled through, and in this way, it was effective. The producers of the work chose to address these questions very informally towards the viewer, displaying questions on the screen that spoke directly to the audience. Questions like, "who chooses who is black?" were used to force both the participants in the film and the audience to think for themselves. This felt very personal, pushing an audience member to think deeply. The people in the film struggled through these questions in dialogues with the host as well as in conversations with each other and through their actions in the film at large. This directness made the stories feel immediate and close to home. The CNN documentary Who is Black in America?, followed the stories of people in The Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement for young people. The stories centered around Nayo, Becca, and their poetry teacher, Perry or Vision. All three struggle with constant questions surrounding their racial identity, yet each answers in a different way. Vision pushes his students to question their preconceived notions about their racial identities while using his own story as a base. Throughout the film, experts spoke on issues surrounding colorism including valuing one person over another based on the shade of their skin. A young woman named Kiera Lee spoke to elementary school children about colorism in America, both the history and their modern-day assumptions. Vision mirrors this with his older children, he pushes his students to share their ideas surrounding color and identity leading up to Nayo and Becca reading their poems at a competition. Nayo especially, struggles to come to terms with her racial identity after being raised by a white dad, and Vision works to guide her through this. The film was able to balance feelings of accessibility to a wide range of audiences while also challenging preconceived notions. They did this by interviewing experts in the field who could shed light on some of the reasons behind feelings the participants of the film were experiencing as well as following the stories of young people facing this struggle. The balance that this struck allowed this film to be understandable by a wide audience, regardless of educational background in the area of study, yet was also informational and really pushed the viewer to become introspective about either their own identity process or that of those in their life. The stories that the film followed were specific to one community project but displayed a variety of journeys through racial identity exploration. The perspectives of the experts concerning the differences between how people perceive someone's racial identity versus how they self-identify varied. Some of them argued more towards the point that anyone can choose their own racial identity as they wish, while others took the standpoint that the perspective of the public was more important as people don't always have the ability to share their own identity. Some of the other young people in the film argued points about a "black experience" in upbringing countering a youth that was void of these experiences and how that drew the dichotomy between being "allowed to" have a black racial identity or not. This argument between both the experts and the participants made the film feel as if it was pulling from both sides. Though this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it made the film feel a little scattered. I think these are vitally important questions to bring into the dialogue of the general public, regardless of race, as this is a conversation that needs to be normalized. The personal nature of these stories brought empathy into the conversation and that is vitally important. I think this film should be shown to many more students as it brings light to a conversation that is not usually discussed. I think this should be a conversation for elementary aged children as it can aid them in having a complete understanding of their own identity and also allow them to think more critically about the institutional and societal colorism that persists in modern day America. The push and pull between personal choice when it comes to racial identity and perceived race left the viewer questioning which way they should feel. Should you allow people to choose their own racial identity, or does upbringing define you, or maybe is how you're perceived the final say?

The Manipulation of Racial Identity

[chslo · 10/10 · 9 September 2019]

Charlie Sloan Black Psychology Review #1 The Manipulation of Racial Identity

In the video Who Is Black In America, focuses on many aspects of black identity. In the video, racial identity plays a significant role in people of color and mixed. It is part of someone's identity that can affect them and how they see themselves. How can people of color and mixed find their racial identity when they are in a world that manipulates them into believing only the surface of who they are? A part of the video caught my attention. One section in the video showed kids in a classroom, and the teacher was showing them an illustration of a black man and a white man's face. The teacher believed in teaching and exposing kids to the bias and segregated side of life at an early age so they can spot it often when they are older. The kids were around ten and under learning about colorism. There was one kid that said, "I don't want to be dark dark dark" (O'Brien,8:37). When the kid in the video said this, it shows the viewers that kids can recognize what others view them as. The teacher asked him why and the kid replies, "cause it's ugly" (O'Brien,8:42). If kids of color and mixed can be taught at a young age what it is like in some parts of the real world, they may find their racial identity quicker, but it is not always the case. The author, Tim Wise, said, "The irony is who is black is determined not by black people, but who's black is determined by white people. (O'Brien,9:42). White people control many things, and one thing they do control is the categorization of people of color. It has been like this for years and years; it is just not called slavery anymore. If one does not know their racial identity or even their regular personality, they can get influenced by what is around them. Depending on how they grow up affects their identity too. If one has a good understanding of their identity, that can affect many parts. What this video reminded me of was the Dahlgren-Whitehead rainbow. Now the rainbow is complete, but what stands on top of it is race. If one understands their race and racial identity, they know their economic and social abi-lities and more. I will put a picture of the chart on the third page and explain a little more. A good part that I found compelling and what worked was when the mentor asked the kids to go to a group that you identify with; some groups were gay, bi, black, other, and more. The compelling part was no one chose "other." "I went for female because like "other" makes me feel like I'm not a person" (O'Brien,11:53). The main protagonist in this video said this state-ment; I am sure she is not only that feels this way. The word "other" does not have a positive connection or vibe to it. One of color or mixed is forced to go into the "other" category. When I say categories, I mean the race options you see on usual legal forms. The University of Florida states that the new race and ethnicity standards are 1. American Indian or Alaska Native, 2. Asian, 3. Black or African American, 4. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and 5. White. These race and ethnicity standard categories can have someone lose their deeper roots and effect their racial identity. What didn't work was the lack of racial identity can be seen in the quarter-point of the movie. They introduce Becky in the video that says she is accepting and proud of being black but says it has been a struggle. Her parents were born in Egypt, but she calls Egypt "Fake Africa." "Most Egyptians don't identify themselves as African American," Soledad O'Brien asks Becky's friend next to her if she is black or not, she says that Becky is not black. "There is a difference between being from Africa and being black." (O'Brien,19:22). Then she says "While we would all love to get to choose how we are and how people see us, what people see you as is stronger than what you identify because you don't always get that chance to explain how you identify. This is a long quote, but I feel like it all had to be said because this can be compared to Becky's response. The viewer can infer that Becky's friend has her identity figured out and what she is working against in the world, compared to Becky who is struggling to get a concrete understanding of her ethnicity and race. She is almost mixing them. Later in the video, we see that during college applications, and they ask her for her race, she clicks white. "So, I can avoid any troubles getting into college" (O'Brien,39:08). Becky is an example of how someone can fear their racial identity. We can also see how manipulative the structure caused by something, or someone only views the general race and ethnicity. When the system doesn't dig into the details, it is creating people of color and mixes not to fit with their ethnicity and race. When it comes to those five race and ethnicity options for college applications, that is only one example of the manipulative way society treats people of color and mixed-race and ethnicity. Racial identity is vital to people of color and mixed-race and ethnicities. It is challenging for people that haven't figured out their own identity yet and get pushed around by the world on who they should be. The world manipulates life decisions for them to funnel down whom they want them to be before they figure out who they are. When one figures out who they are, they realize what they are up against in the real world and how generalized race and ethnicity is. Will this ever stop? We have gone from slavery to Jim Crow Laws to generalized groups to mold the breed of what society wants.

The Social Determinants of Health rainbow by shows the effects of everyday things that can affect an individual. When I say race is at the top, I mean race affects someone's living conditions and work and trickles down from there. Then the core is the age, sex, and con-situational factors. The core of age, sex, and constitutional factors is the main component that racial identity gets effected. The only issue with age, sex, and constitutional factors is that it is one of the last things that gets noticed by an individual, and therefore many people struggle with their racial identity.