Journal #1

Journal Entry 1 POSSIBLE DOCUMENTARY SUBJECTS 1. AUTHORITY ON RESPECTABILITY POLITICS a) Dr. Muwakkill 2. Normal Black Male who refuses to live by societal standards a) Jared McSayles b) Frederick Wilkerson c) Christopher Davis 3. Black Male who lives by respectability politics a) Erron? b) SBI student (must locate) 4. Black Female who has natural hair a) classmate in Dr. Muwakkill’s class http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/04/race-relations.aspx - Nevertheless, attitudes toward blacks as a whole will not change overnight simply because of the election of a black president. Attitudes, particularly racial prejudice, which serves a number of psychological and material functions, often have a basic core that is resistant to change—but people are able to incorporate new information and change their attitudes with new experiences. Obama's election offers America unique and profound new racial experiences. What are the key psychological factors that shape racial attitudes, and how ingrained are those attitudes? Can people with deep-seated racial prejudice ever completely change those attitudes? Attitudes develop with the accumulation of experience and associations over time. They are inherently functional—they help us orient ourselves to others and the environment in ways perceived to benefit us. The world would be chaos if we changed our attitudes toward people and objects too easily. Thus, attitudes typically evolve slowly, often becoming more complex and nuanced over time; rapid, wholesale change in attitudes is rare. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119148/ferguson-renews-debate-among-blacks-politics-respectability _ Respectability, in essence, is about policing the behavior in your community to make sure people are behaving “properly,” so as to not attract unwelcome attention from whites—“with ‘properly’ being a normatively white middle class presentation,” says Dawson. - The idea has found one expression or another for well over a century. During the Jim Crow period, according to Dawson, black children were taught by their elders that one had to act a certain way to avoid harassment and lynchings at the hands of whites. “Du Bois wrote about double consciousness, about looking at yourself through the eyes of the other who treats you with contempt,” says Carla Shedd, a sociologist at Columbia. Self flagellation - extreme criticism of oneself

First Things First

My outline is due in three days and I am no where near as far along as I had hoped.

Although I have a pretty good idea as to what "respectability politics" means, I am not finding as much reputable, journalistic information regarding the topic. The top hits on Google are mostly blogs and opinions pieces. I am looking for research that can give me concrete evidence of occurrences of this phenomenon in history. I would use this information to move my story line forward and concurrently deliver the background information I feel the audience needs to know in order to draw their own conclusions and possibly give them a new perspective on the topic.

ACT I – How others view us In Act I, the definition of “respectability politics” will be discussed. The title will be illustrated this way (with the term respectability politics coming into view and its definition following.) The documentary will open with footage of a conflict between black youth in a popular movie. (May use archival footage from the movie “Coolie High”). The expert will be a professor (preferably Afrocentric) whose courses include racial topics. This person will act as the authority of the piece. The expert will discuss self- flagellation and its place in popular culture. Major characters will be introduced. Subject I will be a young male, between the ages of 21 and 26. Subject II will be a young female with relaxed hair, between the ages of 21 and 26. Their stories will interweave. The documentary will open with a close up of the male. Then there will be a pan down of his attire to fully show the way that he is presenting himself to others. Next, the young female will be introduced in the same manner. I am searching for a subject who may view natural hair negatively. She will explain her look and how she chooses to wear her hair. [ Footage from a cypher (explanation at the bottom of page) to link the two acts] ACT II – How we view ourselves – ACT II will take us through a day in the life of both subjects and how they interact with their peers. Focus will be on how they speak, dress and are treated by others. Subject II will discuss how people on the streets treat him when he walks by, and maybe how potential employers treat him. 1. Subject II will discuss her decision not to go natural in a time where it is all the rage, especially at an HBCU. Hopefully her decision was based off of her own ideals. Subject I will discuss her own experience and pick a side – yes or no to respectability politics. (filming will she is doing her hair or in a hair store/ salon would be ideal) 2. Subject I will speak of his own experience and pick a side – yes or no to respectability politics and to what degree. He will speak of his college experience and what role “RP” has played in his daily life. 3. Subject III will discuss preference vs. prejudice in the black community. He or she will also tackle issues in his life relating to social stratification and how the black community, through his eyes, tear one another down. [ Footage from a cypher (explanation at the bottom of page) to link the two acts] ACT III – What we can do to change Subject II will have the opportunity to speak at length about his social inequality campaign. Subject III (The expert) will give her take on what we can do to change the way we view ourselves in the black community. I would also like to include footage from a cypher, an event I plan to host that will invite artists, musicians, rappers, singers, and poets to come together to showcase their own views of respectability politics and what we can do to change/ alter / or amend the behavior. [ Footage from a cypher (explanation at the bottom of page) will play as the closing credits are displayed]

Documentary Pitch

Topic 1: Respectability Politics “Maybe if I look like this I’ll be more tolerable.” “If I dress this way (professionally) or wear my hair straight, it’ll make me a less likely target of racism.” Or, “people who act ‘ghetto’ should be treated poorly. They are presenting themselves in an undesirable light. I don’t like them either, I don’t blame white people.” Respectability politics can refer to the idea that making oneself more like what society deems culturally appropriate, or shying away from being noticeably “black” in order to fit a stereotypically description of what is right or good or acceptable. My documentary will dive deep into the depths of racism in America: where it came from and why it still exists and also the possible roots of respectability politics and popular examples. It will also spotlight those who choose to paint themselves in a different light and fashion their views, demeanor, and persona around being more respectable in the eyes of those of a more dominant culture i.e. white Americans. I will also give the opposing view a platform to speak on why they do not buy into respectability politics and chose to stick to their roots. A possible subject would be Dr. Muwwakkil, Race-Religion and Personality professor who regularly dons ethnic clothing and head wraps and up until recently wore her hair in dreadlocks.