Educational Media Reviews Online

The fifth installment of the Little Brother series continues its conversations with African American youth, ranging in age from nine to thirteen, on what it means to be a man, and a black man in particular, in America today. The goal of the series is to “[give] Black boys a unique voice” by talking with them about love. This episode was filmed in Tucson, Arizona, where some of the boys have a chance to visit a historical site (Presidio San Agustin del Tucson) and learn about their city’s history of black pioneers and soldiers. Though brief, the episode includes the boys’ thoughts on what they are or aren’t taught about African American history in schools, when it is acceptable or unacceptable to cry, their experiences and expectations of being racially profiled, and the love they are seeking from the world around them. By itself, the film is probably not essential for most collections, but could make a useful starting point for a program of similar conversations in schools, libraries, or churches. Its value, I believe, would be increased through comparison with other entries in the series, the first three of which were previously reviewed in EMRO.