Movie Review : RACE (2016)

When you think of Jesse Owens, you think legendary, encouraging, power, and strength. That's exactly what the movie RACE showed. This movie was one for the books, a movie that gave a highlight to history. RACE, set up to the background of the man who was Jesse "JC" Owens. RACE, showed how as a young black man that once picked cotton journeyed to become the fastest man on earth.
Setting  mostly, during the training and trials that got Jesse Owens to the 1936, Berlin Olympics. The Berlin Olympics, still had major politics behind it. Nazi Germans hated seeing the site of Jesse Owens, win race after race but Hitlers hate is said to be the reason behind Jesse's 4th gold medal. A Jewish person winning was harder to stomach than see the n***a win. Regardless the politics behind the 1936 Berlin Olympics, RACE gave the outstanding highlight that athletes, no matter what ethnicity can find a friend, due to the fascination of the challenge and love of the sport.

"Out there, there ain't no black or white, just fast or slow" 

(-Stephan James as Jesse Owens/Race 2016)

Director, Stephen Hopkins, portrayed the harsh reality that is still shown today, just not as "in your face" now as it was then. The reality,  that Jesse Owens, four-time gold medal Olympic champion, regardless... once a n***a,  always a n***a from Berlin to USA. RACE took no sugarcoating of the truths behind the many hurdles faced by Owens. In every inch of the movie, you put yourself in his track shoes.

Is this movie award worthy? YES! (#OSCARSSOWHITE). Hands down, Stephan James, gave a powerful portrayal of the late and great Jesse Owens. As Jason Sudeikis, wins me over as Coach Lawrence Snyder that believed and lived vicariously through Owens.

You can't say Victoria didn't say it! I give RACE 5 out of 5 purple hearts! A major must see! For everyone who knows to those that don't know the history! You'll want to learn and love this movie!

VICTORIA SAID IT:

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Don't Bring 'Em Home If They Can't Use Your Comb

This write up has been in the works for a little over a month. This isn't the easiest to write because I personally have so much emotion tied into. People have their opinions, so I decided to write this from another's experience who would be just as passionate in her words about stereotypes and acceptance of her family.
 I got the chance to get some time of my older sister to ask her some questions. Her family is super adorable and guess what? They are just that, a family. Not a black family, not a white family, but a family. There's Chas, Tim, and their son Corbin.
Many black women refuse to date outside the race for a number of reasons. When you see an interracial couple, most people are still very judgemental. Why not talk about the stereotypes, dealing with acceptance, and the experience of interracial dating?

Victoria: Have you heard of the stereotype; white women that date black men are in it for the money?

Chas: I have literally never heard of this stereotype! There's some humor to it because I've known several white women who've dated black men and that never crossed my mind.

This one lady, Cathy, dated nothing but black men, we always joked that she wanted to be black so bad that she would give them HER money. Her last boyfriend Mark took her for all she had and it was such an odd pairing because he, as a black man, seemed border-line racist towards white people.

Another lady, Marlene says that she's only attracted to black me and just can't “see” herself with anyone outside of the black race. It's just her personal preference.

Victoria: In these times now, biracial couples are still being looked at as if love has a definition of what ethnicity is allowed to fall in love. Many say they'd never let their son date a white girl. Some feel it's a diss to the black man for a black woman to date a white man. As society shows us on television, biracial couples are ok, as long as they look like Jason And Kelly Pitts (BET, The Game).
For me personally, it's hard to be prejudice, because my ethnic background is so mixed up, but I love my black people. I love a black man, but if he's not crazy, got a smile, 6'0" or better ,respectful, and he's head over heels for me... I don't care if he's rainbow, sounds like a keeper to me but time and time again when an African American woman is dating outside the race, she's  called a “sellout” and are said to not be“black enough”.

Chas: I'm quite sure that this notion crosses some people's mind when they see Tim and I, along with Corbin. Knowing this does not bother me, only because we've been together for so long. The looks and stares are just not important to me anymore.

Rewind back 8 years ago: I intentionally looked for people who stared at us too long just so that I could 'hardcore' stare right back until they got uncomfortable. I was angry at the shear rudeness of people and this my 'revenge' on them.

Do I think of myself as a sellout? No. Tim was the first/only white guy I ever dated. It wasn't suppose to last. I'm not a sellout because his race was not the reason that I chose to continue my relationship with him.

I think that a sellout is a person who, given a choice would choose the (in this case) white guy of the guy of my own race (black). No, I remain with Tim because he was the first guy to show a desire to be in a long-term relationship with me, he wanted a future with me.

I don't consider myself a sellout because I liked having a boyfriend that loved me, I eventually wanted a future with him NOT a baby with 'good hair'. That would be selling out!

And I am 'black enough' because I love myself. Sure my natural hair gets on my nerves and I haven't gone to Africa to 'search' my ancestry, but how many 'us' have natural hair and have gone to Afric? Just because you stay dating in your race, does not give one “more blackness”. I think that being aware of where our culture came from and where it's headed is being “more black”.

Victoria: Acceptance when racism still exist can be a challenge. You've seen the remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinnner called Guess Who starring Bernie Mack and Ashton Kutcher, it was just as difficult to have the father of the daughter except this white male, but reality he explained as a father, no one will ever be good enough for his daughter.
Ashton Kutcher's character dealt with his white coworkers and boss accepting his black girlfriend. In the name of love for his girlfriend he quit his job. How has this experience of acceptance been for you all?

Chas: Our families were well aware that if they did not accept us, then they'd lose us! I was under no pressure to remain within the race, and neither was Tim by his parents. When I met some of his other family (cousins uncles etc...) I could tell that there was some discomfort but I knew that it was something on their part. I didn't make anyone uncomfortable; they made themselves uncomfortable. So when I thought of it that way, I was just fine with whatever they thought of me.

In the beginning of our relationship, one of Tim's childhood friends told him that he didn't 'really like black girls'. Tim told him “...she's not for YOU” and their relationship is basically non-existent now.

One of my best friends told me “I don't want you with a white guy!” that really didn't bother me, because I didn't expect it to last that long, but as time went by she realized that she was either going to accept it or lose me. She's still my best friend to this day and she loves Tim with all of her heart. I'm glad that my family loves Tim and I know that Tim's parents, brothers and sister love me just as I do them

It's daunting to have this 'duty' to show people that love truly is blind. I'm at a point with grown ups who can't accept interracial dating that I'm okay with leaving them in their ignorance. Let them swim in it, I'm not getting paid to change their perceptions.

"Take it or Lose me!"
-Chastity Alexis McGraw

My LIGHT GIRL Experience

After completely watching Light Girls and Dark Girls, I've decided to share my experience. Listening to the women that shared similar stories as mine. "Mellow Yellow!" "White girl!" "Yella bitch!" "You not black!", "your momma or daddy white?" "You too light." "I like you because of your skin color." "You'll win because your light skin." "You dance white!" "You talk white!" Do you know I've heard it all. I was teased and hell, I'm still teased. I never knew how difficult it would be to tell this experience.

Dating while light skin:
In high school I was approached  by a guy who said he gave me a double take because I was  light. Now if you know me, I've been more involved with light skin men and not because I don't like other guys of different complexions. I've just been approached more by those guys. I've had white men tell me, "you're not black but you're cute for whatever you are." Let's not forget the white women that looked at me with these piercing looks because  I was in a club on Wash Ave and a white guy was talking to me and we exchanged numbers... I instantly felt like "that black girl". You're either not black enough or too black.
Recently, I sat down to grab a bite to eat and drink with a good friend that is a white male I've known for about 15 years. We laughed, we hugged, and we enjoyed ourselves. At this Mexican restaurant I was the only black person in there, but I didn't realize until later that I was the only "spook" in there. I assume I was mistaken for being Hispanic because one of the waiters came up and told him I was "trouble". My friend and I continued our conversation about how interracial couples are starred at in all environments, the priveledge versus nonpriveledge, and how complexions are what separate Black Americans. I told him later I felt like the more we talked and laughed we were being observed. No one knew we were friends that haven't seen one another in a very long time and always enjoyed being around one another.

Little Victoria (approx. age 7)

Growing up light skin:
My family has all skin tones, my beautiful family is black. We're made up of different ethnic backgrounds, but our birthcertificates say African-American. Growing up my grandfather looked white, he was biracial. His mother Black and father white, he was raised by the orphanage Boystown. His blue eyes and foul language, people assumed he was Italian. My mother can tell you growing up black, with a daddy that appeared white was probably  even more difficult. She said, "I'd  duck down in the car or have my dad drop me off further away from the school, so the kids wouldn't tease me about  having a white dad".  Black kids can be vicious, I remember  biracial twins Sam and Mike from preschool would tease me and harass me to admit I was mixed. They would refuse to believe my dad was black and from East Saint Louis and my mom was black and from Little Rock, Arkansas.
Growing up I've heard it all. I even think I listen to more hip hop to compensate for not being black enough. I honestly love all genres but unconsciously knowing, I listen to music that I think everyone else listens to ...while being Black.

My daughter is also very light and she has the same name as her cousin but it is spelled differently. These two are different complextions and when they were younger the kids would call them the Black one and the white one. Luckily another kid stepped in and changed that, now they are used their initials to identify the one they want.

Being light skin:
It's one of those things, I appreciate. I can't change it. I don't think I'm better than anyone. It's obvious that others pay attention to the color of their skin. Being Black is already difficult without other Blacks comparing ourselves to one another. I'm still Black and this Black is beautiful. My birthcertificate doesn't say, "yella", "redbone", or "highlighter". No matter who I date, I'm Black. Even if it's a "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" moment or step in the room with my beautiful family members Jackie, Natalie, Bonita or Carmen; I'm going to be the butt of someone's joke. It never fails, but like I said, "I'm still Black and this Black is beautiful.

Nobody understood what it was like to be black and Jewish… being different from everyone else just made me a lot stronger.” – Drake