By Xavier Edwards
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
“Dear white people, you know what, never mind,” stated Sam White (Tessa Thompson) at the closing of the movie, “Dear White People,” shown at Hofstra on Feb. 25. This statement summed up not only the frustrations expressed in the film, but the voices of many African American’s in America today.
The racial injustice and racial profiling that each character experienced whether it was struggling with accepting their own identity, race or sexuality each representation unfolded from within the film into the real life injustices of Mike Brown, Trayvon Martin, Sean Bell, Emmett Till and the lives of many African Americans.
The primary aspect that made “Dear White People” so relevant was it’s setting on a college campus. This setting reflects the setting of many PWIs (Predominantly White Institutions) found in America. Colleges are filled with countless stereotypes that, combined with other distractions or public merits, are designed to belittle the severity of the injustices occurring.
This was extremely relevant for me as a member of the New Opportunities at Hofstra program, where Hofstra is a predominantly white university. Many of my fellow African American/black classmates and friends have trouble being recognized or respected on this campus. Just looking at the representation of our clubs, for instance, we either don’t have a strong presence or enough support from Hofstra, the student body or our own people. Half the reason could be because we are all struggling with our own identities, and in turn, we divide rather than integrate.
As a black college student, in some ways I felt violated by some of the prejudice and cultural appropriation that occured throughout the film and in real life. Although I haven’t personally experienced much of the prejudice and discrimination as my friends have, I am still disgusted at the mockery that my culture experiences.
Why is it that society only wants to copy our culture for the cultural benefits, but does not want to embrace the injustices that comes along with it? Some of the topics that made my blood boil were how Kurt Fletcher (Kyle Gallner) played victim to reverse racism, Coco Conners (Teyonah Parris) struggled with her black identity and many characters trying to deal with the mockery of “black” beauty and the issue of being labeled.
After the showing of the movie, there was a panel composed of members of the Hofstra community to talk about race relation issues on campus. Many African American students, including myself, were upset and frankly offended by the term “good hair.” People’s assumption that our hair is nappy because it’s curly or that it’s a weave because its soft and straight. Why can’t we have coarse, or curly hair that fits our natural beauty and confidence?
Another issue that many panelists expressed was that Hofstra lacks integration, but contains diversity. Many students felt that Hofstra brags about its diversity, but doesn’t point out how divided it really is. One panelist brought up the idea of the Oreo effect, where she felt out of place because she couldn’t relate to both her black friends nor her white friends. Instead, she felt that they were all focusing on the wrong things. However, another African American student from California felt that his home state was more integrated than Hofstra and Long Island combined.
Even those that participate in fraternity and sorority life expressed their struggles with integration and the pressure of the recruiting process because of the racial division that occurs. Who cares if your are black and you join a panhellenic or white organization? What this society lacks besides humanity is racial unity.
“Dear White People” mildly confronts the injustices that occur not only on college campuses, but in everyday life. Justin Simien, director of the movie, targets these issues, but did he really confront them or just stir up controversy about them?
As student, Kay Victoria said, “‘Dear White People’ confronts some issues rather than others, like the bi-racial issue, which was hardly touched upon.”
Despite the risks taken with the film, I still believe films such as “Selma,” “Dear White People” and others create a platform to expose and educate society on the racial injustices we experience.