Ethnic Notions

Ethnic Notions

Black People in White Minds

1986 · 57 min · ★ 7.1 · Documentary

This documentary traces the deep-rooted stereotypes which have fueled anti-black prejudice.

Directed by Marlon Riggs · Written by Marlon Riggs

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Cast

Esther Rolle Narrator
Leni Sloan Cast: Choreographer
Barbara T. Christian Self
George Frederickson Cast: Stanford
Larry C. Levine Cast: UC Berkeley
Derique McGee Hambone Performer
Carlton Moss Cast: UC Irvine
Bert Williams Self (archive footage)
Patricia A. Turner Self

Make it a double feature

1h 52m together

Ethnic Notions

Tongues Untied

Both from Marlon Riggs.

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Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay Black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the "Institute of Snap!thology," where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap.

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