A Reflection on "I Am Not Your Negro"
James Baldwin is known for his works, "Go Tell It on the Mountain," "Giovanni's Room," and a personal favorite, a short story called "Sonny's Blues." Baldwin has an exquisite form of storytelling, and his imagery of Black life and Black characters is a breath of air we're trying to put back into our lungs. In 2016, Raoul Peck released a documentary called "I Am Not Your Negro" based on James' unfinished manuscript, "Remember this House." This film gave details of the writer's feelings about his identity and placement between the U.S and France. Also, the film showcases his relationships with the three winds of the Civil Rights Movement; Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and Medgar Evers. In the spliced images and footage we received in this film, we see vulnerability, a look in the mirror, and a question of why in the fraction of four of them — Baldwin wasn't seen as a threat. Yup, this is how double-consciousness ties back in.
Baldwin was seen in this film constantly explaining himself and the lives of other black citizens the same way as clocks tell time. It's predictable and repetitive. It is as if to keep from othering him, James Baldwin became the spokesperson for all things African-American. He's constantly disfiguring the "huh?" about the difference between Black and White America. As we ponder on this film; and the expression laced in the title — this is one reminder that the black diaspora and experience of blackness isn't a keyboard shortcut. And the sooner we get to having our break-up scenes with societal constructs and expectations; we will continue to remove the veil of internalized racism and this shadow of double consciousness. Raoul Peck does a phenomenal job in this five-part documentary, bringing to life what Baldwin stored, an utterly crafted story with moments that make one think about their own identity. "I Am Not a Negro" is that alarm that keeps ringing during slumber to remind the comfortable that we will not be mascots for race ethics. Cheers to all of the Black people this season, go as you please, be who you must.
If you haven't seen it, be sure to watch this beauty of a film for free on YouTube.
