Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Sunday, August 14, 2011

The Help Movie & The Non-Open Race Conversation

Since opening day there's been tons of chatter about The Help Movie. To be honest, I have very limited chatter to add since I missed the advance screening I was invited to via Disney. While I do plan on seeing the movie at some point, I have to be honest and admit I'm not sure how much commentary I will have to add to the black and white debate.

The Help Movie

Yes, yes it's about black maids and how they were treated, etc, etc. Yes, yes it's about white women using their privilege power to do something, etc etc. Yes, yes, it's about how we can come together and bridge the gap of race to forms bonds of hope and..... and what?

Now again I haven't officially seen the movie so I'm in the dark so to speak. But I have been reading the different reviews of the movie. Some of them favor the movie but many of them don't. Many people have issues with the movie claiming we're still not that far from black women in servitude to white families. Some even say the movie has Whitewashed Black History.

Other's like my friend Niri, who's of East Indian decent via the African continent, feels white people should have a voice in the racial conversation. Even if their telling the black American story.

Matter of fact I read one white women flash back to the help her family had while she was growing up. Help that continued to be "help" to her and her family for years. I will hold my comment on the kind of help that somehow never ends

While all of that makes for some interesting reading, I really still wonder when the race discussion will move past white and black. Like really we're STILL making movies about this racial combination? We're still have the same ole black and white debates? Really?!

Not for nothing but Asian, Latinos, Native Americans, and any other race you can remember beyond black, have been in servitude to white families for years along with black women. Heck many of them are still in servitude. Check any nanny agency or house cleaner advertisement and see who's filling the positions. Where are the movies about them?

I just don't think we can have a real and true conversation about "race" that will lead to lasting change when we're still only highlighting black and white while excluding the other races. What do you think?

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears DVD Review

As we come to the end of February and Black History Month, I wanted to highlight "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears" DVD that I found to shared with Daniel.

Again, I'm loving the moving story book feel of the DVD. I also like that the stories are based on African folklore. While each story originally started as a book they are brought to life on the DVD with little bits of movement and audio details. All three stories are read with creativity, humor and joy. In the first story James Earl Jones laughs...it's amazing to hear!

A great point about the DVD is the imagery of each story wasn't done as full action scenes. The DVD lets your child use their imagination to follow the story. The stories are also not long...10-12 minutes each. I'm not sure where at 20month's my son's imagination took him, but I know he gave his fully attention to each story. I recommend the stories...book or dvd format...for kids of all ages to enjoy.

As we go into March, I am proud I found creative ways to share American Black History with my son. Even though I'm Caribbean, I hope to continue showing him how wonderful the African American culture can be. Being half black is something he should be proud of. He needs to know/see/understand that he's connected to a community of people rich in culture and creativity....past, present and future.

Like this article? Subscribe to the RSS feed or for email updates!