I have a white friend who is very aware of social justice issues and is intensely interested in civil rights. Every time they learn of a book or movie or play talking about the struggles of the civil rights movement, for example, they tell me how moving it was and strongly encourage me to see it. They recently saw “Black Klansman”, and were full of praise for the movie, saying, “You have GOT to see that movie.”
Maybe I will at some point, but I was honest with them: at this point in my life I have very little interest in media that talks about my ancestors’ enslavement or my elders’ oppression. I grew up with those stories. I live the ramifications of those realities on a daily basis. I do not need those stories to be aware, because as a Black woman in America I cannot afford to be unaware. I prefer media that celebrates the richness of the African diaspora, like Black Panther. I want to see us portrayed as the brilliant, creative victors we are in real life.
That said, those movies and plays my friend is so deeply moved by are important stories for white Americans (and other people of color) to see. Too many of them are nowhere near as aware as my friend is about how insidious and ugly and dangerous racism in America is. Too many are unaware of how recent those events are and do not see the connection to today’s issues. Too many are unmoved by the harsh realities of being Black in America. The more often white audiences see and hear those stories, the clearer it may become for some of them. Then they can beat their fellow white people over the heads to wake them up, because it will take white people to wake up white people and fix the racism white people created in the first place.