BY: Jacinth Jones
William Foster is lauded as the father of black filmmakers. He created the Foster Photoplay Company, the first independent African-American film company in 1910. His two shorts “The Pullman Porter” (1910) and “The Railroad Porter” (1912) are assumed to be the world’s first film with an entirely black cast and director.
Going into the 118th year of black cinema, many black films continue to highlight similar themes to showcase the black experience through different aspects of life.
Co-owner of Lucky Dog Media, a production company located in Silver Spring, Maryland, film director Wanakhavi Wahikisi said that black cinema has always been about portraying the black experience.
“The Pullman Porter” was the first black film that highlighted the black experience. The short depicted the life of pullman porters who were former slaves hired to work as porters for sleeping cars. They were often mistreated, overworked and underpaid which led to the first labor union organized by African-Americans in 1925. The Brotherhood of the Sleeping Car Porters was a used to improve and advocate for better treatment and working conditions of black porters” said Wahikisi.
Wahikisivi also mentioned that “the race films between 1912 and the 1950s and the new wave of black movies during the 90s and early 2000s were a direct replica of the black social, economical and cultural experience.”
With the help of the Hughes Brothers, Spike Lee and John Singleton, the 1990’s and early 2000’s saw a new age of black film through ghettocentric, black love, or coming of age movies. These motion pictures from the last 20 years unconsciously illustrate evergreen issues that are still featured in black films today.
Some of these issues are illustrated through these characters that appear over and over again in films :
● funny sidekick
● single black mother
● hopeless gang member
● star athlete
● sassy or ghetto black woman
● drug addict
● church woman
● independent black woman
The characters attempt to show the negative influences surrounding common themes in the black experience for over 20 years. The themes are but not limited to police brutality, the intersection with poverty and education and homophobia in the black community.
“The George McKenna Story” (‘86) “Lean on Me” (‘89), and “Freedom Writers” (‘07) are movies that touch on the intersection between poverty and education in the black community.
The non-fiction films uses the savior complex to feature teachers who attempt to make a difference in the lives of at-risk high school students living in a gang-plagued hot bed of violence.
With the help of these newly hired employees, students are able to channel their emotions as each teacher breaks down their tough exteriors and connects with them on a personal level though empathy, genuineness and persistence. The students unravel their struggles, come to terms with their past and move forward while fighting against the negative forces in their lives.
“The George McKenna Story” and “Freedom Writers” are 21 years apart yet share similar themes. Little has been done to to help children receive a quality education in poverty-stricken neighborhoods. Unfortunately much of the black population live in these neighborhoods. The movies show little change on the intersection between poverty and education in the black community,” said Wahikisi
Despite being one of the most powerful and developed countries in the world, the United States has one of the highest rates of childhood poverty. According to “The Condition of Education” by the National Center for Education Statistics, 19 percent of children--under the age of 18-- live in low-income families below the federal poverty threshold. Equating to 13.7 million children.
All three movies were located at public high-poverty schools. “The Condition of Education” describes a high-poverty school as “a public school where more than 75 percent of the students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch.” During the 2015-2016 academic year, roughly 24 percent of students attended public high-poverty schools.
“The George McKenna Story” and “Freedom Writers” were situated in Los Angeles where in 2016, the state of California was not measurably different from the U.S. average with 20 percent of children under the age of 18 lived in families below the federal poverty threshold. “Lean On Me” was located in New Jersey where the average percentage of childhood poverty is lower than the the U.S. average at 14 percent. The national average is 19 percent.
Data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development shows that in 2015 the United States’ child-poverty rate was significantly higher than other countries including Mexico, Poland, and Germany.
In addition to poverty, Black movies also focus on issues of police brutality.
“Do the Right Thing” (‘89) and “Fruitvale Station” (‘13), focus or have different scenes that highlight police brutality--an issue that is clearly on-going. Although it’s been nearly 30 years since the release of Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”, the film is still relevant today.
Radio Raheem’s death was inspired by 1986 Howard Beach incident in Queens, New York. The racially motivated killing involved three black men who were attacked and chased by a group of white men outside of a pizzeria. Michael Griffith, 23, was chased into traffic, hit by a car and died.
Twenty-four years after the release of “Do the Right Thing,” “Fruitvale Station” was produced in response to the death of Oscar Grant III who was shot in the back by a white transit police officer in 2009.
Based on a tracker from The Washington Post, 137 people have been shot and killed by police in 2018. Nine percent were unarmed. Mapping Police Violence, an interactive database of national police killings, found that police killed 1,147 people in 2017. Blacks were 25 percent of those killed despite being 13 percent of the American population.
“The Hate U Give,” featuring Amandla Stenberg may be placed into a category of evergreen content. The movie follows a black female high school student witnessing the fatal shooting of her best friend by a police officer.
“Police brutality dates back to slavery. Police misconduct has evolved over the years from lynching to now killing black people in point blank range. There are so many different past and present examples films can choose from. This is an issue plaguing the black community for far too long but as black people continue dying in the streets, it is still relevant on our screens,” said David Reneau, a film writer and producer.
Reneau’s films have been picked up by Netflix and other video streaming services.
This recurring issue plaguing the black community is often discussed in private and public spaces yet other topics become taboo such as the misconception of homosexuality in the black community.
“Pariah” (‘11) and “Moonlight” (‘16) are both coming-of-age dramas about growing up black and gay while pursuing love interests in secret. “Pariah” is seen as a lesbian forerunner to “Moonlight.” The main characters are ostracized for their sexual identity which reveal the struggles of being an LGBTQ member in the black community. Tackling the complex issues of masculinity and sexuality, Barry Jenkins’ “Moonlight” won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2017.
A survey released by the Public Religion Research Institute conducted a study on the relationship between support for same-sex marriage and nondiscrimination protections for members of the LGBTQ community.
69 percent of blacks aged 18 to 29 favor same-sex marriages compared to 40 percent of black seniors. It is important to note that since 2013, the opposition to same-sex marriages has declined among black Protestants. The conservative religious group dropped 14 percent in the last four years. 43 percent supported marriage equality in 2017.
Analyzing the PPRI’s data, in the minds of most blacks, there is a disconnect between approving same-sex marriages and nondiscriminatory laws. “The generational divide cuts through every demographic group in the U.S. Even in groups most opposed to same-sex marriage, a majority of young adults favor this policy.”
Although the mothers’ ages in “Pariah” and “Moonlight,” were not accounted for in the survey, they are among the 40 percent who oppose same-sex marriages. They often spew hateful language to Alike and Chiron to assist them out of the “phase”.
According to David Simon, a licensed minister of Millennium Bible Fellowship in Capitol Heights Maryland, this is largely due to the misguided misinterpretations of the Bible and a belief that homosexuality is the most heinous sins of all.
“Some people are good to say whatever they want and use religion as a tool to move towards or bolster and uplift whatever type of mentality or perspective they have initially. People will preach off what they are thinking versus the teachings of the holy spirit.” He continued. “You don’t need to be putting yourself on anybody else for real. If they didn’t ask for it, if they’re just living their life, you really have not right or responsibility--that’s not your problem,” Simon said.
Unfortunately evergreen content on specific issues affecting the black community is repurposed every so often. While some are based off true stories or inspired by others, more has to be done within the black community to help advance and move forward. The recurring issues are being exposed in films time and time again, so how far has the black community really come and how far does the community have to go?
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