"the physics of light showed that Whiteness was 'the chiefest color.' Newton took it up on himself to substantiate Boyle's color law: light is white is standard." - Ibram X Kendi

Truth.

Roger Ross Williams Eloquently Reveals We Are Stamped From The Beginning

What is wrong with Black People. Absolutely nothing. @netflix #stampedfromthebeginning #afifest

In 1860, Mississippi Senate Davis on the floor of the United States Senate opposed a bill funding education for Black people. To justify this, Davis crafted a made up fairytale he claimed came from the Bible around when Cain was exiled from the Garden of Eden. Apparently, Cain comes across the land of Naan and according to Senator Davis, this land was inhabited by animals and beasts that were…

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Christina Lane talks about Black Perspectives slate of movies at the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF)

I got a chance to speak with Christina Lane who programmed the Black Perspectives slate of films for this year’s Chicago International film Festival. Movies like We Grown Now, Rustin, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Bike Vessel, Banal & Adama, American Fiction, and Stamped From The Beginning just to name a few. Reggie Ponder speaks with Christina Lane about Black Perspectives @ CIFF

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Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King ...

If he had lived, Martin Luther King would be celebrating his 95th birthday today.  I first wrote this post in 2017 and have repeated it annually on Martin Luther King Day every year since, with some alterations as needed.  Every year, I think I should write a new one, but then I read this one and … it says everything I want to say, so … why re-invent the wheel?  In the past several years, I have…

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A (Not So) Weekly Wrap-Up

The Hunger Games: A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

64 years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he mentors Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12.

I read the book at the beginning of the year when I went through my Hunger Games phase again, and this movie is exactly what I thought it would be compared to the book. They obviously had to cut a decent amount in order to turn and 600 page book into a 2 1/2 hour movie, and that doesn't bother me in the slightest; even if it means losing a couple of my favourite scenes. Tom Blythe does a great job for how subtle the performance needed to be and he really shows off in his final scenes. The only real complaints I have are minor nitpicks: there are too many 'wink wink' references to the original trilogy: Snow saying "Is this real?" and the camera hovering on the bow and arrow in the arena; it just came off a little too referency for my taste. I also don't like the aesthetic of the tech, I know it's supposed to tap into how long before the original trilogy this takes place, but you're telling me that somewhere that hoards wealth and advancement like the Capitol hasn't evolved technology that much faster than in the real world; expecially because they're using the Panem equivalent of an smartwatch in the book? Overall, I still really like this movie, and my complaints don't effect my viewing experience that much.

Rating: 4

Stamped From the Beginning

Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.

I picked this up on a whim and was pleasently surprised, everything is presented in a really engaging way and I learnt about events I'd never heard of before.

Catering Chirstmas

Molly Frost is hired by Jean Harrison, the director of the Harrison Foundation, to cater this year’s annual Christmas Gala dinner. Things get complicated when Molly falls for Jean’s nephew, Carson, who has no desire to take over the family’s foundation… until his aunt assigns him to the task of making sure the catered dinner goes perfectly.

Would it be the holidays without cheesy romance movies? Off the back of my annual Love, Actually re-watch I had to watch something with a name like Catering Christmas. It's exactly what you think it is, lots of fun and mediocre production value.

Rating: -3

Miss Americana

A raw and emotionally revealing look at one of the most iconic artists of our time during a transformational period in her life as she learns to embrace her role not only as a songwriter and performer, but as a woman harnessing the full power of her voice.

Another documentary to close us out this week. I was a Taylor Swift fan when I was younger and only recently came back because of the Eras Tour. I only sort of followed the events that are covered here, but not closely as it was around the time I fell off the Taylor Swift train (not because of the drama, I just devoted all my time to One Direction back then). It's a well made documentary that makes me want to watch all of her concert movies and fill myself with nostalgia.

The question is...

How are we intentionally questioning what is being given to us and what we are ingesting...?

Because someone is designing it.

Are they designing it for our benefit or for theirs ...?

I watched 'Stamped From The Beginning' last night. It horrified me & profoundly, emotionally shook my head, and made me ashamed by association to be white. Not that I wasn't already aware of white privilege & Black struggle, but literally Oh My God, how deep this awful shit goes! THIS is why I kept having arguments w/ fam on why it's not ok to say "all lives matter". Really an eye-opening film everyone should see, imo.

The confines of enslavement were producing Black people who were intellectually, psychologically, culturally, and behaviorally different,

Not inferior.

Ibram X Kendi, Stamped From the Beginning

2024 Oscar Predictions: DOCUMENTARY FEATURE (October)

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Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King ...

Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday in the United States to honour one of the greatest men who ever lived in this country.  I first wrote this tribute to Dr. King in 2017, and each year I reprise it, with slight changes or minor additions, for I find that it still says exactly what I wish to say.  Given the increase in racism in the United States in recent years, I think the above…

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