Filmmaker Tracey Anarella's Not Black Enough asks tough questions about race relations within the black community, and features commentary from heavyweights such as Henry Louis Gates (who apparently tells his daughter to tell people to “kiss your black ass” if they question her validity), singers Vanessa L. Williams (with allusions to her Miss America win in 1983) and Florence LaRue of the 5th Dimension, and rapper Petey Pablo. Combining archival photos and clips to illustrate the many shades, styles, and realms of “blackness,” the film features several participants offering personal stories of being questioned or challenged for “acting white” or assimilating to a supposed culture. Covering topics including music, politics, hair, and the N-word, the experiences shared here provide an interesting look at learned behaviors, varying mindsets, and being true to one's self. If you can overlook some ridiculous aspects, including a rant about Obama working for European masters, some hammer-over-the-head intertitles of “Oreo”-style cookies (re: the pejorative term for being “white on the inside, black on the outside”), and a song about “beautiful blackness” that plays like a misguided music video—and I say all of this as a mixed-race woman myself—this is recommended. Aud: C, P. (J. Williams-Wood)
Not Black Enough
(2016) 83 min. DVD: individuals: $19.99; institutions: $59.99 ($249.99 w/PPR). Tracey Anarella (www.traceyanarella.com). Volume 32, Issue 5
Not Black Enough
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