This insight is from a Remarkist Memento.
Title: For the Love of Media
Creator: @hunter
Event (Watch Party): Sister Act
Event Date: 2023-02-05
Drop Date: 2023-02-05
Remarkist World: Sister Act (Films)
Density: 50 KD
Number of Editions: 15
February sparks an onset of Black History content. Weβre inundated with documentaries and dramas produced for the masses in the hopes of aiding the consumer to expand their understanding of past events in Black History and its impact on American culture today. My education, and most Black Americansβ education, evolved on the sofa with family.
Consider (and research) the following:
βBiiiig fuuun... in BALtimoreee.β βDid I do that?β βShe's your... QUUEEEN to beee..β βAll my life, I had to FIGHT.β βKunta... Kunta Kinte.β βDamn... Damn... DAMN!β
These quotes, and the television shows and movies from which they hailed, have been ingrained in the Black American communityβs psyche. Theyβre a rite of passage for young eyes -- so they know, and we know, our culture passed on. When spoken, even without context, the sentiment is delivered. If uttered in public, a laugh will ensue soon after... or a silent nod.
We know. We understand. It doesnβt need to be elaborated.
Those couch discussions were filled with laughter, arguments, and most importantly, recognition of our existence. Good or bad, we were reflected on the screen. I learned why it was so important to see Whoopi Goldberg portray Celie in βThe Color Purpleβ as well as acting in βSister Act.βΒ Halle Berry as βQueenβ transformed the way I thought of women during enslavement and furthered my hunger to learn what wasnβt in the books. Understanding why Hattie McDanielβs Oscar win was significant to our community while simultaneously disparaging the character she played was a critical baseline in valuing representation.
With each rewatch of these Black staples, my grandparentsβ and eldersβ insights into the topics brushed over or under the rug by movies remain as valuable today as they did when I first watched them. Media proved to be an instrumental tool in my cultural education, more so than most of what I learned in textbooks...
And it continues to mold me today.
HB
Remarkist: @hunter
Lover of Media, Reader of Books, Writer of Things, Grower of Plants, Court Reporter Extraordinaire, and First of Her Name.
Instagram: @hunter_boyle_
Twitter: @hunter_boyle_