"I Am Not Your Negro"
Film: "I Am Not Your Negro"
Filmmaker: Raoul Peck
The film maker, along with James Baldwin's writings argues that not much has changed in America in relation to racism, and the oppression and subordination of the Black race by the White race. It emphasizes the need for the White race to admit, stop denying, and do something about the physical and psychological pain it has inflicted on the Black race for centuries in order for things to change. Samuel L. Jackson is the narrator in "I Am Not Your Negro" a project James Baldwin was working on, and did not have the chance to complete prior to his death in 1987. This film explicitly summarizes the cruelty, and subjugation Blacks have had to endure since their arrival on American soil. As I was watching this film I was curious to know how James Baldwin died (was he also assassinated?), I had never heard of him prior to this movie, so I went ahead and googled his name. I found this article written by the New York Times: James Baldwin, Eloquent Writer in Behalf of Civil Rights, Is Dead. I found it to be a very interesting article, and I felt it does an excellent job summarizing his work and his life, something I found helpful when attempting to understand his perspective.
In the beginning of the film it's almost disturbing, but understandable once you watch the film how repulsed James Baldwin was about returning to this country from France. He describes all the monuments, landmarks, and things that are meant to make you nostalgic, meant to make you want to come here, and how instead these things had the complete opposite effect on him, making him want to stay away. He makes it a point to say how he would rather be anywhere else in the world than here "while I was in France, I was not homesick for anything in America." He described America as stifling, and suffocating. Through his words you could almost feel how much he struggled with his place in this country, the grandson of a slave, and the son of a minister "there are days and this is one of them when you wonder what your role is in this country and what your future is in it."
Although he felt this way, he didn't see himself as a pessimist, he didn't think all White people were devils, and he did not want young Black people to believe that either. In the film I found it interesting how he mentions a White teacher who seemed to care for him during his childhood. This teacher seemed to help him realize that not all White people were evil " it is certainly because of Bill Miller who arrived in my terrifying life so soon that I never really managed to hate White people, though God knows I have often wished to murder more than one or two" demonstrating how teachers are looked at as role models, and that how they present themselves to children can leave lasting impressions, in his case preventing him from labeling an entire race as immoral and monstrous.
He mentions how as a child he didn't see color, how he saw himself as John Wayne, the hero, until one day he realized that he was the Indian that John Wayne was trying to eliminate. He writes about how the images of White famous people on t.v. distorted his reality, his own identity. He found it difficult to relate to the Black actors as they were made to seem the opposite of what he knew them to be.
I agree with you that some of the scenes were hard to watch and imagine that it is a reality. He did a good job allowing you to see from a different perspective which is hard to do when you have never experienced racism or oppression first hand. The part about him as a child not being able to relate to people on TV stood out to me as well. It is so interesting to think about that when you are in the majority, you often don't question what you see. But if you imagine living in a place where everything you see looks different than you, you will start to believe that you are wrong.
ReplyDeleteI thought that the example of Bill Miller was an important distinction that he was making. He was intentionally pointing out that he did not have a hatred for all white people, and even said as much. This was similar to his comments about the NAACP and their denigration of poor African-Americans at the time. He makes a solid point that people need to start fighting on the same message and acknowledge those on both sides that are doing damage by pushing inequality in their own way.
ReplyDeleteNice post, Yanery -- in particular, right off the bat, you highlight this important point: "It emphasizes the need for the White race to admit, stop denying, and do something about the physical and psychological pain it has inflicted on the Black race for centuries in order for things to change."
ReplyDeleteI think about this a lot, as a white person -- what AM I admitting/not admitting, denying/not denying, doing/not doing? How am I complicit? How am I actively working to disrupt/oppose racism in my work as an educator and outside of the classroom?
I'm thinking here too about connections to your important work as a health professional -- how can public health be a site for anti-racist action? How can we treat not only the effects of racism as they manifest physically (as highlighted in Unnatural Causes) but also get at the roots?