"Mobile In Black And White" (MIBAW), the collaborative documentary film of Robert Gray and Joe'l Lewis, is a strong primer for anyone who wants a straight-up education on the cause and effects of institutionalized racism in America. The film smartly outlines the economic, educational, and legal systems that produce white privilege and in the process, proves that race as white supremacists have constructed it creates a limited and limiting place for black Americans. After watching "MIBAW", one would be hard pressed to claim that opportunities for non-white Americans are equivalent to those of whites - and a fundamental theme of "MIBAW" is that, "not talking about it hasn't taken us to a place where it doesn't matter." That's a potent argument against current claims that a post-Obama nation is a "post-race" nation. Constructive dialog is the driving hope of this film: we can't change something unless we understand what that something is. I'm greatly encouraged that the filmmakers collected such a diverse group of people to so articulately illustrate these graphic truths.
And though I understand the desire to make this material as objective as possible (as a way to pre-empt one's critics), the filmmakers' tactic of focusing the entire film on fact-based statements from a mostly academic p.o.v. left me wishing for more personal stories. A few folks were given the space to do so, and they were the most compelling parts of the film for me. Karlos Finley's moving articulation of what it feels like to be told he's, "not like other blacks" and April Dupree Taylor's account of being excluded from her co-workers' white/racist Carnival events were powerful testimonies. Additionally, the poetry woven throughout the film was beautifully potent - Bama, Audre Lorde, Robert Gray - all spoke passionately and compellingly on racism and our collective responsibility in dismantling it. If the directors had followed Tim Wise's theory that, "systemic injustice only makes an impact when we connect it to human stories", "MIBAW" would have resonated with me more deeply. Despite this aesthetic/conceptual issue, this film can serve a great purpose by opening dialogs in many arenas: within academic contexts, for parents wanting an accessible tool to educate teens, and for anyone needing an ABC's refresher course on the institutionalized racism that so many are suffering from - and fighting against - today.
- EAU
http://mobileinblackandwhite.org/2012/10/10/mobile-in-black-white/
MOBILE IN BLACK AND WHITE, Spectral Grey Production (2014, 92 minutes)
And though I understand the desire to make this material as objective as possible (as a way to pre-empt one's critics), the filmmakers' tactic of focusing the entire film on fact-based statements from a mostly academic p.o.v. left me wishing for more personal stories. A few folks were given the space to do so, and they were the most compelling parts of the film for me. Karlos Finley's moving articulation of what it feels like to be told he's, "not like other blacks" and April Dupree Taylor's account of being excluded from her co-workers' white/racist Carnival events were powerful testimonies. Additionally, the poetry woven throughout the film was beautifully potent - Bama, Audre Lorde, Robert Gray - all spoke passionately and compellingly on racism and our collective responsibility in dismantling it. If the directors had followed Tim Wise's theory that, "systemic injustice only makes an impact when we connect it to human stories", "MIBAW" would have resonated with me more deeply. Despite this aesthetic/conceptual issue, this film can serve a great purpose by opening dialogs in many arenas: within academic contexts, for parents wanting an accessible tool to educate teens, and for anyone needing an ABC's refresher course on the institutionalized racism that so many are suffering from - and fighting against - today.
- EAU
http://mobileinblackandwhite.org/2012/10/10/mobile-in-black-white/
MOBILE IN BLACK AND WHITE, Spectral Grey Production (2014, 92 minutes)