Newspaper Page Text
- V
V -■A-.’* -yy.
Pariah:
A Call to Action
Margaret West
Staff Writer
Pariah; noun. One who is de
spised or rejected: outcast. Merriam
Webster defines each cousin, aunt, and
uncle whose sexual orientation seems a
little too ambiguous for our liking. We
smile at them each family reunion, yet
create the whispers and send the judg
ment as they cower in embarrassment.
Each family pushes the notion out of
everyone’s minds that he or she might
be gay. The Black community has bur
ied homosexuality at the base of each
family tree, but at the 2011 Sundance
Film Festival Spike Lee and a team of
talented actors and cinematographers
have unearthed the struggle of Alike,
a black lesbian living a double life in
Brooklyn, New York. Pariah, the con
temporary drama adapted from writer
and director Dee Rees’ 2007 short film
is projected to be in theaters Winter
2011.
The film is filled with laughable
moments and heart wrenching scenes
that draw connections with the audi
ence from any walk of life. She deals
with issues as serious as coming out
to a homophobic family, to the hilar
ity of finding the right strap on for a
“special” girl. The riveting choice of
camera placement and lighting depict
the change within Alike as she comes
to terms with the truth of her sexuality
and the disdain her mother has toward
her lifestyle. Alike’s double life consists
of frequent gay club visits and outfit
changes that morph her into femininity
and masculinity. An interesting facet of
this film was the depiction of a func
tional black family with both parents
present and a father-daughter bond.
Many filmmakers, black and white
alike, have portrayed white families in
a positive light and black families as
irreparably torn. There was no broken,
battered, home situation that spun
Alike into an “alternative lifestyle”, but
a father who affirmed her, loved her
unconditionally, and did not subject
her to abuse of any kind.
Alike is subjected to the whims
of experimentation throughout the
whole movie, forcing her to look in
side of herself for conformation of her
worth and sexuality. Each female en
counter she has is with a woman who
is “curious” about the other team. In
one scene, she overhears a girl in the
hallway saying she’s not gay, but she
wouldn’t mind “trying one out”, and
mentions her fancy toward Alike. The
bond, and break, of genuine friend
ships is a rollercoaster for Alike, as she
hangs with Laura, who introduced to
the gay scene, and Bena, a friend forced
on her by her homophobic mother
who turns out to be a match and Alike’s
first heartbreak. The tumultuous rela
tionships Alike has with women strike
an interesting juxtaposition between
her sexuality and her excellent relation
ship with her father.
Alike’s character connects with
the audience through her enthralling
poetic ability. Her poems challenge her
to come to grips with the reality of who
she is and who accepts her, and allows
the audience to understand what goes
on in the mind of a closeted lesbian in
a black homophobic family. Pariah is
a film that brings a mirror to viewers,
challenging him or her to face their
fears and let the truth rise to the sur
face.
Reed Between the
Lines: The New Black
(Entertainment)
Hope?
Marjani Hall
After the debut of Black Enter
tainment Television’s (BET) new show,
Reed Between the Lines, there was
little doubt in my mind that there was
hope for BET and all black people who
devoutly watch its programs. I have
always been skeptical of BET, only tun
ing in to watch the Color Purple, Baby
Boy, the occasional Girlfriends re-run
on Saturdays, and the BET Awards
every year. Since last years dreadful at
tempt of re-vamping one of my favorite
shows, The Game, to its sitcom line-up,
I had totally lost all faith in anything
and everything BET.
To me, Black Entertainment
Television meant low-budget, bad
scripts, and terrible acting. But then
Joan from Girlfriends finally got mar
ried to Theo Huxtable- and by that
I mean Tracee Ellis Ross is cast as
Dr. Carla Reed, and Malcolm Jamal-
Warner is Dr. Alex Reed. The two are
a couple with three adorable and ex
tremely smart children. On the verge of
sounding like your typical Generation
Z kid, the show could be classified as
the new-age Cosby Show.
It is a show representing the
beauty of the Black Family in a positive
light, “like ‘Cosby,’ ‘Reed Between the
Lines’ is not [just] about a Black family
but about a family that happens to be
Black”, Malcolm Jamal-Warner stated
during an interview with Essence
Magazine. This show is the only show
I have seen, since ‘Cosby’ that depicts
Black love as what it should be, some
thing true, joyful, and supportive.
Although there are comical scenarios
and tiffs between Warner and Ross as
husband and wife, it is evident that
there is real love present. And what is
more beautiful than Black love?
Unfortunately, when I ask people
if they watch the show, (which airs ev
ery Tuesday at 9pm) most, if not all, are
silent. I understand why people would
initially shy away from a BET-network
production. For instance, “Lets Stay
Together” is the absolute worst show I
have never watched. But with such sea
soned actors like Ross and Warner, that
we grew up watching grow up, how can
we not give this show a chance?
Name another show that de
picts Black women. Yes, there are quite
a few, such as Basketball Wives, Bad
Girls Club, and Real Housewives of
Atlanta. But how many actually portray
black women as poised? Proper? Well
spoken? With positive attitudes and
civil personalities? None, not even ‘The
Game’ shows black women in non
stereotypical roles. Look at Tasha Mac,
from ‘The Game’; she is a prime ex
ample of the loud, ghetto, Sapphire that
we have been portrayed as for decades.
Watching and supporting Reed
Between the Lines allows us to step
away from the reaffirmation of Black
stereotypes in the media. It allows us to Cl
let the representation of educated, ac- mail
complished, loving and thoughtful blacks Spotlight Staff
prevail on primetime television. 350 Spelman Lane> Box
1234
Atlanta, GA 30314
Albert E. Manley College
Center
Tristin Travis i
Since 2006 BLACK GIRLS ROCK
Inc. has been dedicated to the promotion
of the healthy development of young wom
en and girls. The incorporation founded
by Beverly Bond teamed up with BET to
broadcast the 2nd Annual televised Award
show “Black Girls Rock”. This year hosted
by Tracey Ellis Ross and Regina King,
Black Girls Rock was a success! Filmed in
New York at the Historic Paradise Theater,
these women really reached their goal of
reaching out to a global audience. Edi
tor and Chief and Executive Editor of the
Spelman Spotlight, Kirstin Evans and Kelly
Harper had the opportunity to attend the
taping of the show. They found their ex
perience inspiring and unforgettable. The
show promoted the strength and beauty
of black women. Black Girls Rock, Inc is
a non- profit youth empowerment and
mentoring program established to promote
the arts for young women of color, while
also acknowledging talents in dialogue and
analysis of the ways women of color are
portrayed in the media.
S.K.I.R.T.S (Sister keeping it real
through service) is dedicated to commu
nity service outreach as well as catering
to young women in underserved com
munities. As they seek to conduct work
shops they pulled from outside programs
and ideas to host Spelmans version of
“Black Girl Rock” based on the popular
BET award show. With performances and
discussion-based panels, Spelmans ver
sion of Black Girls Rock held in The Sci
ence center was an innovative way to reach
out to students and faculty. Bringing back
some Spelman alum to speak on the beauty
of women in society today was a wonder
ful way to bring everything into perspec
tive for current students. Looking forward
to next years event the feedback from the
event was immaculate.
Tracee Ellis Rosss and Malcolm
Jamal on the set of “Reed Between
the Lines”
Morehouse Alumni, Spike Lee’s
Current film, Pariah.
Write for the
Spelman
Spotlight or
Contribute
any
articles?
Please Contact:
Kirstin C. Evans
Editor in Chief
via: kevansl4@sc-
mail.spelman.edu