Blog Post #4: I Am Not Your Negro

I Am Not Your Negro (James Baldwin and Race in America) by Raoul Peck

 

The girl in the image was 15YO Dorothy Counts. This was the reaction and treatment she got as she was walking to school in Charlotte, NC. People say that a photograph paints a thousand words -- well, this one certainly does. This young girl was faced with mockery, hatred, confusion and disgust by people just for the reason of her going to that school. I wish I was there at that moment in time because I would've done something. I wouldn't have let her experience all that pain by herself. Sadly, I know for a fact that not everyone who sees this image would feel the same way I'm feeling -- the hurt, pity, anger, disgust and the urge for social justice. And for this reason alone.. it proves that something is wrong in our society. Racism and discrimination felt and experienced by black folks still remain to be real (and evident) and for anyone who thinks otherwise, then you're part of the problem and you need to wake the f*** up.

 

LACK OF REPRESENTATION OF AFRICAN-AMERICANS IN AMERICA. Throughout the film, James Baldwin referenced a lot of shows and movies back in the day that showed little to no representation of black folks in America. And even in the few films that featured black people, James Baldwin argue that what his fellow brothers/ sisters portrayed was a lie to what the real world is for Negroes in America.

 

Aside from the cinema scene, this issue is widespread in the entire American system that Baldwin stated during the Cambridge University Debate back in 1965 that what this does to those who are subjugated and oppressed is destroy his/ her sense of reality. That for a black child, when you're born and every face you see is white, you tend to think you're white as well. But then you grow up and you come to experience and realize the sad truth that the world and reality you thought was yours doesn't hold a place for someone like you.

 

 

SEGREGATION. James Baldwin said in the film that back in the day, even though you'll see most white people having a black person in their lives; whether it be a friend or a maid, they have no idea on how negroes live or the struggles they face because they don't come to their house, their kitchen nor go to their neighborhoods and see what it's like for African-Americans living in America. Baldwin emphasized that with most people he meets, it's not that they have anything against black people. BUT, its apathy and ignorance which is the price we pay for segregation.  

 

 

SOCIAL JUSTICE APPROACH. In the film, Baldwin talked about the root cause of hate in America. He stated that for black people, the root of their hatred is rage while for white folks, it's terror. Relating back to last week's readings wherein I learned that the U.S. history is characterized by a long tradition of discrimination and bigotry. And that for some Americans, racism and democracy are not conflicting beliefs. It is a fact that there's still a huge divide amongst Americans and some white folks still carry the same ideology that they have been passed on through generations. People (especially kids) develop (and spread) fear/ terror and hate toward things/ people they're not familiar with because they don't know any better. Therefore, the key is awareness. 

 

An effective approach for working with the youth is through a social justice framework. One major practice that draws me to this approach is that it teaches and encourages us to undergo these 3 levels of awareness. (See this article for more information about the Social Justice Approach)

 

1. Self-awareness, which for me is the most crucial one as this focuses on self-evaluation and self-exploration that can and will help us achieve a positive sense of self, social and cultural identity.

 

2. Social awareness wherein it encourages the youth to think critically about issues in their own communities and at the same time, promote investigation, analysis and problem solving. The social justice model also gives an avenue to heal from the impact of such inequities plaguing their lives and communities.

3. Global awareness that teaches the youth to become familiar with various historical forms of oppression and look into the larger processes and systems that have caused suffering to many people around the globe. It allows us to connect and empathize with other people's sufferings and resistance to oppression.