Black is, Black Ain't - Essay Example

Black is Black Aint. When Barack Obama was elected as the most powerful leader of the world, it was shocking for some, but for many it was surprising. United States of America is perhaps one of the most diverse nations in the world. African Americans are an important fragment of American society. The contribution of African Americans to America can be analyzed by the role this race has played, whether its politics, sports or the entertainment industry, one would find numerous names in the top echelon that have an African origin.

However, even in the present age there factions that objectify African Americans and do not deal them as equals.Twenty years back Marlon Rigg produced a documentary with a title “Black is… Black Ain’t”, main theme of the documentary was to present the real life experiences of African Americans. Rigg wanted to criticize the element of prejudice that had affected the lives of people who had a darker skin. The documentary does not restrict its focus on any particular class of African Americans, rather it offers a deep insight into the lives of people belonging to same origin, and enjoying different socio-economic status (Riggs, n.p.).

Until, nineteen sixties, African American did not have the right to vote, and today, the president of America is actually an African by origin. This transformation did not occurred all of a sudden, rather it’s a journey of struggle. African Americans as a community have quiet rapidly evolved in the past three or four decades, and the credit goes to these men who were ready to stand against the odds. However, there are several controversial issues that are linked to this race; moreover, the racist element that is found among the White has given birth to several misconceived stereotypic ideas.

In his documentary, Rigg wanted to people to realize that they were wrong, when they considered Afro Americans as savagely creatures, who did not have any morals, and were evil by nature. The title of the documentary clearly indicates the purpose and the theme, as it aims to bring the truth about African American culture and their lifestyle to the people, and eliminate the Black –biased stereotypes from the minds of the people. Moreover, Rigg wanted to reveal the problems that were faced by African American, just because of the stereotypes that have imprinted a delusional image of Black people.

ReferencesRiggs, Marlon. Black is Black Aint. 1994. DVD.