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systemic racism

Part of Our World: Black Girl Joy & The Little Mermaid

September 17, 2022 by Chris Utley Leave a Comment

Of all the commentary I’ve seen from the reaction to The Little Mermaid teaser trailer – particularly the videos of Black girls enraptured in pure joy while watching the trailer – my friend Joe said something incredibly profound that is 100% correct:

“Let them have this moment. You had yours.”

THIS. 

And, yes, the You he is speaking of is the white led, financed and engineered motion picture industry. 

“You” have had an entire end run on the whole of this industry since it’s inception. The only time WE (Black girls, boys, our parents/grandparents/extended family/etc.) saw ourselves in “Your” stories was as inhumane caricatures and stereotypes until the 1950’s and 60’s. (The Birth Of A Nation, Buckwheat, Mammy & Stefan Fetchit ring a bell?) And only THEN you only bothered to capture a glimpse of our humanity via Sidney Poitier’s body of work and our emergence into tv work like the late great Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura in Star Trek

Then we busted doors down in the 1970’s and WE told OUR STORIES of life in the seedy underbelly that SYSTEMIC RACISM crafted for us via Sweet Sweetback, Shaft, Superfly and all the other “Blaxploitation” films. By the grace of God, we were also able to show you stories depicting our inner strength and steadfast determination to live as well. Examples include Claudine, Sounder and Cooley High among others. 

The 80’s & 90’s caused You to see us as economically viable…as long as we made You laugh (see Eddie Murphy and the buddy cop comedies that came in the wake of 48 Hours and Beverly Hills Cop).  We also took ownership of our own narratives via Spike Lee, John Singleton and countless other great Black film directors. Those voices spoke via celluloid as the new century dawned upon us. 

But, save for maybe that soulful choir in Disney’s Hercules, our daughters and sons never got to see themselves front and center in an animated film. We, just like everyone else, plunked out $$$ at the movies for The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Beauty And The Beast, etc. So when we finally GOT an animated film where our little girls got to see themselves in their own likeness in 2009, she was turned ned into a frog for almost the entire story. 

So, in light of that history, I’m with my friend Joe. Let us – and our Daughters – have this moment! Resist the urge to judge those videos. Shut down your so called “Christians Against Little Mermaid” FB pages (Yes. This is Real). Just sit with us in this moment. A live action Disney Princess is in the same Imago Dei of those little girls who are overflowing with joy. 

Can’t you just be, please won’t you be, Part Of Our World?

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured Tagged With: systemic racism, The Little Mermaid

Judas & the Black Messiah: “I Want to Live”

April 30, 2021 by Chris Utley Leave a Comment

The film has been on HBO Max for about a month now. I knew watching it was gonna require courage, as historical dramas about Black pain and suffering only serve to make me angry. So, I avoided it as long as I could until I finally sat down to watch on the first Saturday in March.

And, as I figured, I got angry. Very angry.

I wasn’t angry at the acting or the story or the filmmaking process. I was angry at the reality that has not gone away 50 years later.

The thing that leapt off the screen for me as I watched: The SYSTEMIC racism. Emphasis on the word SYSTEMIC. I’m talking specifically those scenes within the FBI and their chessboard maneuvering.

Black mobilization is a threat. Always has been. Always will be. It’s why slaves couldn’t learn to read. It’s why the flame of Reconstruction was doused by Jim Crow. It’s why King, X, Medgar Evers, Fred Hampton and countless other Brothers and Sisters had their lives taken.

It’s why they label BLM as “communist” and “Marxist.” It’s why over 40 states are currently in the process of remixing voting laws – even drafting bills to make it illegal to serve food and water while standing in line for hours waiting to vote. 1969. 2021. Mobilization Is still a threat. And their greatest fear.

An IRRATIONAL fear.

J. Edgar Hoover in the film hypothetically asks Mitchell, the FBI agent handling Bill (Judas) O’Neal, what he’d do if his baby daughter brought home a Negro whom she was in love with. His point: Survival. Protection of their way of life. Fear of being conquered. Hoover’s words echoed the now famous Charlottesville Tiki Torch sentiment. Those marchers targeted Jews. But they could have inserted anyone in their war cry.

(WHOMEVER) WILL NOT REPLACE US!

REPLACE YOU? 🤣🤣🤣

For the record, we are not trying to replace Whites. We don’t want your throne. We don’t want your seats of honor. We don’t want your status or your authority. “New World Order” is laughable to us. Marxist regimes are the furthest thing from our collective minds.

Fred Hampton, MLK, BLM are all fighting for the same sentiment – a sentiment best expressed by a Jay Z song title:

CAN I LIVE?

Can I work for a livable wage to raise my sons and daughters without restriction?

Can I go to my job wearing the hairstyle I want, speaking my normal dialect without having to codeswitch? Can I get the opportunities to advance in my field without those previously stated issues being an issue?

Can I go to church without having to assimilate into a White Evangelical approved form of Christianity that denies my true expression of who I am? Can I sing, shout, say AMEN, embrace my African heritage in my expression of faith without it being a threat?

Can I buy a house in the same neighborhood as you and you not feel so threatened that you engage in non-neighborly microaggressions insinuating that I am not welcome there? Can my house get the same appraised value attached to it even with my photos of my African American family of 5 framed on the walls?

Can I just get a ticket for speeding? Can I just walk home from a store? Can I just drive to my new job? Can I do ANYTHING that results in me just getting a write up instead of a toe tag at the morgue? And can my expression of righteous anger and frustration not require the use of deadly force because you see Black anger as a threat?

If I CHOOSE to love your daughter, Agent Mitchell, is that enough? Can I not be subjected to jests about how dark the baby’s skin color will be? If other family members express their racist thoughts about my presence in the family, will you defend me? Or will we be ostracized from your family – and our children lose their birthright – because we won’t “play the game?”

Replace you? No, White community. It’s never been about that. We just want to live. All we want is our modern day equivalent of that promised 40 acres and a mile and we’ll keep living. Some of us will live with you in our space. Some of us won’t. That’s our choice.

You have a choice too. Let Hoover’s fear consume you. Let the irrational horror of what we might do take over your hearts and minds. Continue to mangle Scripture for your own benefit.

Or…you can live. With us. Lose your fear. Lose your terror. Lose your life…and find it again like Jesus said. When you’re ready, our arms are wide open ready to live with you and love you.

Thank you Chairman Fred.

The film is available now on Digital and out on Blu-ray and DVD on May 4. The Blu-ray combo pack includes “Fred Hampton for the People” and “Unexpected Betrayal” as special features.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Reviews Tagged With: Fred Hampton, Judas and the Black Messiah, LaKeith Stanfield, Martin Sheen, Oscars, systemic racism

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: Battle Scars and Bank Loans

March 19, 2021 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

Next one up.

With seven series and five films (!) on tap for 2021, it’s fair to say that Marvel wants to keep their schedule moving along. As a result, even though we’re only two weeks out from the finale of WandaVision (don’t you kind of miss Agatha already?), the House that Stan Lee Built has already moved on to their latest Disney+ entry with The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a series which explores what it means to be a hero when you’re stuck living in the shadow of another legend.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier picks up shortly after the events of Avengers: Endgame. (With no direct ties to WandaVision, there’s no obvious indication from the series where they fall in the timeline with one another.) Living from military contract to contract, Sam ‘The Falcon’ Wilson (Antony Mackie) has passed on the opportunity to take on the mantle of Captain America, opting instead to go home and help his sister deal with their family’s fishing business. Meanwhile, Bucky “The Winter Soldier” Barnes (Sebastian Stan) continues to live a life of solitude as he attempts to make amends for his past crimes. However, as a new evil lurks in the shadows, Sam and Bucky must work together to expose their plan and save the world once again.

With the global success of WandaVision and today’s release of the first episode of Falcon, Marvel (and Disney) have seamlessly moved from an (almost) exclusively MCU to the M-TV-U. But, so far at least, the most unexpected element has been the quality of the series thus far.

In some ways, it should not a shock that the Marvel product has been translating so well onto the small screen. While the MCU is known for its big budget special effects and larger than life battle sequence, the material has never forgotten its roots in comic books and long-form storytelling. (Besides, what is the Marvel Cinematic Universe if not the modern equivalent of the Saturday morning serials with a larger budget?) 

Even so, it does come as a bit startling how patient Marvel has been with their storytelling with this new venture into television. For example, in WandaVision, it wasn’t until the 3rd or 4th episode before the Marvel connections really began to take shape. With Falcon, Marvel again shows their confidence in their storytelling (and their fan base) by adopting this patient approach. Though this series will ultimately be only six episodes long, the introduction to the series primarily focuses on the challenges in the lives of our two protagonists. (Seriously, when did you ever think you’d see an Avenger struggle to get a bank loan? Doesn’t S.H.I.E.L.D. take care of their own?) While the series opens with a solid action scene, the rest of the episode focuses almost exclusively on character development, grappling with issues of PTSD and systemic racism.

It instantly impressed me.

Marvel has always been at its most interesting when they take risks. Whereas WandaVision leaned in exclusively into television history, Falcon (so far) seems committed to telling a story that focuses on what happens when the war [seems to be] over. With Sam working from contract to contract and Bucky grappling with the sins of his past, the two men are attempting to reintegrate their lives with everyone else. Though known as heroes for their time with the Avengers, they are now struggling to get by. Whether it’s trying to pay the bills or simply living with extreme anxiety, both Sam and Bucky are coming to grips with life after the shield. 

Now, of course, we know that the story is not going to end there. Teases of a new evil organization point to a more traditional MCU series of large-scale military battles on the horizon. But, for now at least, their greatest battle is understanding the legacy they leave behind. In this way, Sam’s story feels the most relevant. After having passed on the mantle of Captain America, he’s wrestling with his own worthiness as a hero and the missed opportunity to follow in the footsteps of an American icon. Sam understands that the world ‘needs a new hero [that’s] suited for the times we’re in.’ But he doesn’t believe that he can be that person…yet, anyways. (Certainly, the prospect of an African American lead taking on the role of Captain America would be an important opportunity that Disney needs to take—but that remains to be seen at this time.) For Sam (and Bucky as well), the mantle of ‘hero’ simply feels overwhelming. They know who they are and what they’ve done and, because of it, the standard of heroism simply feels too high for them to apply. 

While I’m certain that, eventually, the men will reconcile their past with their role as heroes, it is always interesting when Marvel challenges their characters emotionally. In Falcon and the Winter Soldier, there is a recognition that the mantle of responsibility must be taken seriously. At the same time though, the series also hints at the fact that all leaders are imperfect at some level, meaning true worthiness stems from some other aspect of their character.

But we’ll have to wait for the show to unravel to tell us what that is.

The first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier is available to stream on Disney+ on Friday, March 18th, 2021, with new episodes every Friday.

Filed Under: Disney+, Featured, Reviews, SmallFish, VOD Tagged With: Anthony Mackie, Avengers, Disney, Disney+, Marvel, MCU, PTSD, Sebastian Stan, systemic racism, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Films in Full Colour #1: QUEEN & SLIM

June 5, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We, at ScreenFish, believe that we are all created in God’s image and want to show our support where we can to those in the Black Community who continue to battle against systemic racism. While our team strives for diversity, we can always do better ourselves in giving voice to those who need the chance to speak out and be heard. 

In our new series, ‘Films in Full Colour’, we will be examining films that explore issues specifically within the black community. For each episode, my co-host will be Jordan Thoms, pastor of Warden Underground Church in Toronto and our hope is that, through the lens of film, we might be able to shine light on the issues faced every day by African Americans. This week, Jordan and I welcome Enrico and Lauren Kabongo on the show to delve into spinning narratives, racial stereotyping and leaving a legacy in Melina Matsoukas’ Queen & Slim.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

FFC1: Queen & SlimDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Daniel Kaluuya, Films in Full Colour, Jodie Turner-Smith, Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim, racial justice, systemic racism

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