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As
An Act of Protest
Best
Black Movie Nobody Will See This Year
By Kam
Williams
Samuel L.
Jackson caught a lot of flak a few months ago for stating that
he preferred to work with legitimate actors over rap stars. I
don't think that the criticism was fair because he was
essentially merely the messenger in announcing an alarming trend
that was on the way. The simple point Sam was trying to make is
that when the studios opt to place rappers in lead roles, it
puts legitimate actors out of work. And Jackson would be one to
notice this trend early, obviously, as someone kept abreast of
casting decisions being made way before the release of a movie.
Now, we are already
beginning to witness the fallout. Very recently in theaters,
there's Eminem in 8 Mile, Ja Rule and Kurupt in Half Past Dead,
Ice Cube and Eve in Barbershop, Ice Cube again in Friday After
Next, Cam'ron, Doug E. Fresh, Damon Dash and s'more hip-hoppers
in Paid in Full, and Mos Def, Slick Rick, Big Daddy Kane and a
host of others in Brown Sugar.
Personally, I don't
have a problem with the rappification of the movie biz, except
to the extent it prevents such an excellent feature like As an
Act of Protest from finding distribution. Filmed in Harlem on a
shoestring budget by its writer/director/co-star Dennis Leroy
Moore, this coming-of-age tale chronicles the career
frustrations encountered by a couple of film school grads.
Both of these gifted
youngsters are African-American, Cairo (Luis Laporte) an
aspiring actor, Abner (Moore) a would-be director. This
creatively-inclined pair emerges from the conservatory eager to
make an impact, armed with new ideas and a fresh-faced optimism.
Sadly, we see just how easy it is for a black kid to have his
dreams ultimately dashed by the harsh realities of a racist
world that isn't very interested in what contributions he might
like to make.
Last year, The Visit
was the best African-American-themed film nobody saw. This year,
it'll be As an Act of Protest. What a shame that such a
sophisticated story could be overlooked by the major studios in
favor of more of that mass dumbing down. The incessant barrage
of mindless films like Friday after Next don't give a hint that
a movie like As an Act of Protest is even out there.
See this movie and
you'll understand why Samuel L. Jackson doesn't want to work
with rap stars. For there are already an array of uncompromising
black actors, writers, and directors collaborating to create
movies of far more substance
Excellent
(4 stars)
Unrated with profanity and violence.
27
November 2002
As An Act of Protest was
written & directed by Dennis Leroy Moore and produced by
Melissa Dymock, A John Brown X Production
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Sister Citizen: Shame, Stereotypes, and Black Women in
America
By Melissa V.
Harris-Perry
According to the
author, this society has historically exerted
considerable pressure on black females to fit into one
of a handful of stereotypes, primarily, the Mammy, the
Matriarch or the Jezebel. The selfless
Mammy’s behavior is marked by a slavish devotion to
white folks’ domestic concerns, often at the expense of
those of her own family’s needs. By contrast, the
relatively-hedonistic Jezebel is a sexually-insatiable
temptress. And the Matriarch is generally thought of as
an emasculating figure who denigrates black men, ala the
characters Sapphire and Aunt Esther on the television
shows Amos and Andy and Sanford and Son, respectively.
Professor Perry
points out how the propagation of these harmful myths
have served the mainstream culture well. For instance,
the Mammy suggests that it is almost second nature for
black females to feel a maternal instinct towards
Caucasian babies.
As for the source
of the Jezebel, black women had no control over their
own bodies during slavery given that they were being
auctioned off and bred to maximize profits. Nonetheless,
it was in the interest of plantation owners to propagate
the lie that sisters were sluts inclined to mate
indiscriminately.
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Sex at the Margins
Migration, Labour Markets and the Rescue Industry
By Laura María Agustín
This book explodes several myths: that selling sex is completely different from any other kind of work, that migrants who sell sex are passive victims and that the multitude of people out to save them are without self-interest. Laura Agustín makes a passionate case against these stereotypes, arguing that the label 'trafficked' does not accurately describe migrants' lives and that the 'rescue industry' serves to disempower them. Based on extensive research amongst both migrants who sell sex and social helpers, Sex at the Margins provides a radically different analysis. Frequently, says Agustin, migrants make rational choices to travel and work in the sex industry, and although they are treated like a marginalised group they form part of the dynamic global economy. Both powerful and controversial, this book is essential reading for all those who want to understand the increasingly important relationship between sex markets, migration and the desire for social justice. "Sex at the Margins rips apart distinctions between migrants, service work and sexual labour and reveals the utter complexity of the contemporary sex industry. This book is set to be a trailblazer in the study of sexuality."—Lisa Adkins, University of London |
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The White Masters of the
World
From
The World and Africa, 1965
By W. E. B. Du Bois
W. E. B. Du Bois’
Arraignment and Indictment of White Civilization
(Fletcher)
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Ancient African Nations
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If you like this page consider making a donation
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Negro Digest /
Black World
Browse all issues
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Enjoy!
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The Death of Emmett Till by Bob Dylan
/
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
/
Only a Pawn in Their Game
Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson Thanks America for
Slavery /
George Jackson /
Hurricane Carter
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The Journal of Negro History issues at Project Gutenberg
The
Haitian Declaration of Independence 1804
/
January 1, 1804 -- The Founding of
Haiti
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update 1
July 2008
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