black enuf* 2016
Distributed by Third World Newsreel, 545 Eighth Avenue, Suite 550, New York, NY 10018; 212-947-9277
Directed by Carrie Hawks
Streaming, 23 mins
Middle School - General Adult
Adolescents; African American Culture; Race Relations
Date Entered: 08/12/2020
Reviewed by Terri Robar, Learning & Research Services Librarian, University of MiamiThere is a lot of discussion these days about systemic racism. What is it? Does it exist? How does it manifest itself? The opinions you hear are most often are from white people who think they understand it or people of color who are politicians and civic leaders. This film provides some insight from the point of view of an ordinary kid growing up in an ordinary town who went to an ordinary school.
From her early years, she remembers family, friends, and outsiders who expected her to conform to certain ‘norms’ for being a black woman. She touches on the problems of being biracial and bisexual. She uses dry humor to express her frustration while she wonders when she will ever be considered black enough to be black.
The director uses a combination of live interviews and animated sequences to tell her story. The effect is interesting and engaging. It would be particularly effective for younger audiences who tend to tire quickly of listening to a panel of “experts.” The filmmaker does not belabor the point of systemic racism (indeed, she never uses that term) yet she manages to convey just how pervasive it is. Ultimately, her message is: just be yourself. That should be good enough for anyone.
Awards:
Best Animation, Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival; "Best Animation" First City Film Festival, Leavenworth, Kansas, 2018; "Best Women's Short Film (Audience Award)" OUT on Film Festival, Atlanta, GA 2017