Above Ground

Black art / redefined stereotypes

[abovegroundrailroad]

Urban5 joined students from Johns Hopkins University to discuss their music, their story, as well as other broader topics such as the importance of Black art and its impact on the community. This video is a part of Professor Jessica Johnson's undergraduate Black Code Studies class.

[abovegroundrailroad]

Discussion of Beyoncé’s Formation music video

Featuring Dikshant Malla, Jonathan Brown, and Jack Laylin.

Filmed and Edited by Jack Laylin.

[abovegroundrailroad]

Carrie Mae Weems

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/01/30/beyond-black-and-white-photographer-carrie-mae-weems-tackles-racial-and-gender-stereotypes.html

Carrie Mae Weems From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried art exhibit was one of the first pieces I remember from the beginning of this semester. I find it apt to come full circle and close my amazing experience in this class with a return to Carrie Mae Weems. Her work as a whole focuses on the intersections of race, class, and gender, as well as other key aspects of Black Code Studies such as slavery and racial stereotypes. As her art is known for responding to African-American stereotypes and combating widespread information about her people, I thought discussing her fit in with our Tumblr’s theme.

When looking at her work at the beginning of the year, we encountered her From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried collection. Although this was created in the mid-90s, its message sadly still rings true today. Through this piece, she works to prove that photography has played a key role throughout history in shaping and supporting racism, stereotyping, and social injustice. “When we’re looking at these images,” Weems has said, “we’re looking at the ways in which Anglo America—white America—saw itself in relationship to the black subject. I wanted to intervene in that by giving a voice to a subject that historically has had no voice.”

She truly is not here for any bullshit. Her Ain’t Jokin series features black people doing normal things in similarly straightforwardly named artwork. She combats deeply damaging stereotypes held by black people themselves after centuries of being treated as the lowest of the low in society. For example, one photo depicts a black woman calmly staring into a mirror and a white woman haughtily staring back at her. It is titled ‘Looking Into the Mirror, the Black Woman asked, “Mirror, Mirror On the Wall, Who’s the Finest of Them All?” The Mirror Says, “Snow White, You Black Bitch, and Don’t You Forget It!!!” ’. Another photo from the same collection is titles ‘Black man Holding Watermelon’, which the photo simplistically shows. Weems encounters stereotypes head on, bringing unspoken words to the surface, as well as working to humanize black people by showing them doing normal things, such as holding a watermelon or eating chicken. The act of showing black people doing ‘normal’ things is in of itself going against the status quo in a world where black people are perceived as an ‘other’, ‘foreign’, and ‘alien’ race, a world where white people do not have any similarities with them.

Her other collections, ranging from The Louisiana Project to Kitchen Table Series to Dreaming in Cuba also tackle stereotypes across various categories in societies.

Her artwork collections are primarily devoid of colour. I feel that by focusing on subdued photography, her messages shine through without being cluttered by sensory interference. By using photos in only one colour, or in black and white, viewers are able to zero in on the basic facts presented in Weems’ photos. By keeping colours subdued, Weems is able to build off her messages through the interplay of shadows in her work.

Beyond her artwork, Carrie Mae Weems has also partaken in various initiatives to promote art amongst inner city youth and marginalized audiences. Her work is phenomenal in every aspect of life, and I am amazed by her passion for and ingenuity in her art, and her longstanding hope for people of color to stand for the human multitudes.

[abovegroundrailroad]

The Collection

http://www.fabiolajeanlouis.com/collection/

To begin, a tidbit on the background of the artist of these phenomenal artworks. Fabiola Jean-Louis is a Haitian born, fine artist and photographer currently based out of Brooklyn, N.Y. Her works cross between space-time, sci-fi, costume design and surrealism to create pieces that leave viewers star struck, fumbling to find the words to describe the emotions that crash down upon them, or vocalize their thoughts running at the speed of light when they encounter her works.

This collection of artwork depicts black individuals in the finery reserved for European royalty from a time period where blacks were the lowest members of society. The rich interplay of colours, fabrics, and subtle symbols create defiant images. Here they are, black women reclaiming what life could have been like for them having replaced their tormentor’s places. Yet solemn faces in regal royalty know precisely what their place in life actually was in this time.

While each piece calls for and rightly deserves its own analysis, I shall only be focusing on a select few that I feel stopped me in my tracks when I first viewed them. When moving through pictures, one can see glimpses of reality peeking through the wishful illusions Fabiola has conjured.

*Marie-Antoinette is Dead*

 This first piece showcases a black woman lounging in finery. Here she sits, poised in elegance. I still find it difficult to puzzle out whether she is looking straight at the viewer or has her eyes turned slightly away, both of which add to the general aura of mystique in this portrait. As one observes more closely, one notices the black doll she is holding, as well as the crystals scattered next to her. This conjures a 'voodoo-like' feeling in this photo, one not typically associated with European royalty. Here is the first of many instances where Fabiola brings in the actual African experience in this world to her portrait series depicting them to be at the complete opposite in the hierarchy of life.

*Conquistador*

The woman holds a paper that say 'Cannot Be Conquered' while giving a hard stare to the viewer. She knows precisely the irony apparent in a piece showcasing the very people who were physically conquered by the Spanish conquistadors, but refused to allow themselves to be mentally conquered, as royalty. This might have also perhaps been a jab at Queen Isabella of Spain, who aided in sponsoring Christopher Columbus' voyage to the New World that unleashed colonialism and has lead to the hellish world for minorities that we live in today.

*Madam Leroy* and *Rest in Piece*

This is an intricate portrait within a portrait. Had it been a traditional European royal, their jewelry would have been gaudy and full of large jewels. Yet here, the subject’s necklace shows the lynching of a black man as a replacement for sizeable gemstones. This is a breakthrough between the fantasy world Fabiola creates and our reality- the lynching of black bodies that has occurred for centuries up to this very day. The pink flowers add a whimsical touch to an otherwise depressing scene, and help draw attention to the necklace that is the centerpiece of this portrait.

*Madame Beauvoir’s Painting*

Another marriage of reality and fantasy in Fabiola's portrait series, this image depicts a woman seemingly admiring her gown in a mirror. But when one glimpses into the mirror, one sees the same woman with her back covered in lashes. The intricacy of how the lashes in her back and design on the back of her dress is eerie and makes you draw back and shake your head, wondering if this was a coincidence or done on purpose.

  An interesting observation: unlike the ancient portraits of royals, Fabiola's feature her subjects staring straight ahead as if they are meeting your gaze. These pieces of art rewrite black stereotypes by re-imagining black people into the roles that were denied to them for centuries, and still remain a fantasy in this Eurocentric world. Yet these art works do not exude the hubris European royals were known for. Even in this 'alternate dimension', the subjects' solemn faces portray their understanding that such a world was never made for them and they have always been aliens to the aliens that destroyed their homelands.

[abovegroundrailroad]

Paul Rucker’s exhibition REWIND embodies America’s uncomfortable history regarding issues of social justice. This visual piece is a representation of black youth in contemporary society.

Paul Rucker's piece resonated with me because it spoke about unjust racist profiling and targeting of black youth. The image of black hoodie, skittles and Arizona tea is significant because it represents the description of Trayvon Martin when he was shot. Through the image, Rucker is trying to criticize the stereotype of black youth as being deviant and violent. In our communities, the mere presence of black youth with junk food connotes an uneasy feeling for people around them (especially white people. The image also spoke to me for its subtle criticism against American politics. In the right side of the hoodie, you can notice a Obama 2008 sticker of "Hope". Through the sticker, Rucker is presenting the ironic social state in America; while we use Obama to champion rhetoric of diversity and inclusion, some of the most high profile cases of police brutality have come under his term. Rucker's use of black youth stereotype is powerful as he shows the injustice within our society, and the harsh reality of what it means to be a black male youth.

[abovegroundrailroad]

Visit Original Link

Black women that attend Johns Hopkins University respond to "How do you feel about this following line from Kendrick Lamar's 'Humble'?"

I'm so fuckin' sick and tired of the Photoshop Show me somethin' natural like afro on Richard Pryor Show me somethin' natural like ass with some stretch marks

[abovegroundrailroad]

A reaction video to Kendrick Lamar’s “Humble”

Featuring Jonathan Brown, Dikshant Malla, and Megan Huynh

Filmed and Edited by Jack Laylin

[abovegroundrailroad]

Images of Solomon Northup as portrayed by  Chiwetel Ejiofor

[abovegroundrailroad]

A Complex Hierarchy

We are taught to privilege house slaves over field hands for a variety of reasons. We are led to believe that house slaves are taken better care of, have more opportunities for mobility than field hands, and even dwell in their master’s “big house.” Some of this is true. House slaves were a privileged group of enslaved people. Just look at the photo above. The first image (clockwise from left to right), is a still from Django Unchained showing Monsieur Candide and his slave Stephen. Next, I offer you the archetype of the “happy slave”, David O’ Selznick interpretation of Margret Mitchell’s character “Mammy” from Gone with the Wind. Beneath Candide and Stephen, you’ll notice the resilient and strong Ernestine of Underground’s Macon plantation. And then there’s Alfre Woodard’s incarnation of Mistress Shaw from Solomon Northup’s narrative 12 Years a Slave in the film of the same name. While watching these films or pilot episode, one can become enraged by the complacency of these house slave characters. One may condemn these characters for perpetuating a hierarchy that pits them against all other enslaved Afro-Americans. One may even despise these characters and wish their demise or limited inclusion in the film or episode arch. However, to limit these characters to a one-dimensional reading misses other aspects of their lives that reveal that a more complicated dynamic between house slaves and their masters.

           In Django, Stephen amuses and disgusts viewers. He greets Monsieur Candide with the expression of a puppy embracing its owner after a few days or even hours of absence. Stephen possesses a pathetic aura, one that is completed dependent on Candide, or so it seems. Let’s reconsider this character. Stephen commands the respect of all the white overseers and inspires the fear of other house slaves and field hands alike. I’ll draw the conclusion that when Candide travels for business, Stephen, not Candide’s wife or another white person is left in charge of the plantation. For example, take the scene where Stephen realizes that Django and Broomhilda know each other. He does not make a scene alerting them of his new-found knowledge, but asks Candide into the study where Stephen explains the situation. In this scene, Stephen displays a paternal demeanor, lecturing his naïve son over something that should have been so clear. This scene confuses viewers, not only because Stephen guides the conversation, but also manages to convince Candide that he is correct. This phenomenon exists in Gone with the Wind too.

           Mammy is clearly the most senior of the slaves at Tara. She is to Scarlett what Stephen is to Candide, a parent or an advisor. It appears that Mammy knows Scarlett better than her own parents and Mammy almost expects Scarlett to give her that respect. It’s a subtle expectation, one that Mammy’s manifest through her stern and powerful attitude. Still, Mammy does not have a name or at least one that is given. She exists only as an extension of the children, or in Scarlet’s case, child, that she is charged with rearing. Mammy’s existence is predicated on the rearing of her master’s children, but once that is complete, what is to become of her. For all of Mammy’s “status” in the household, she has one specific task. And yet, Mammy recognizes this maternal role, which is why she becomes that surrogate figure for Scarlett and I would imagine many of the other house slaves at Tara. She exploits that dynamic. Thus, while viewers may detest both Stephen and Mammy for appearing compliant, viewers should also understand they command some influence over their masters and dance a careful dance of exerting that influence when necessary.

           Ernestine and Mistress Shaw represent a harsher reality of slave hierarchy in plantation society. Yes, Ernestine governs the Macon Plantation better than Mrs. Hawkes (the mean one). Yes, Mistress Shaw has her own servant staff and appears to live a luxurious life relative to other slaves on her plantation. They appear well-dressed, more learned than other slaves, and even happier than field hands, but to end our conversation here would be disingenuous. Viewers of Underground’s pilot and 12 Years a Slave do not see what actions Ernestine and Mistress Shaw take to afford them privileges. These women are live-in concubines, sex slaves for their respective masters to abuse and rape at will. Ernestine seems to be more aware of this dynamic than Mistress Shaw, but her scenes are limited in 12 Years a Slave (film). Ernestine does not want field hands to envy her position in the house and only remains there to prevent her children from being put into the field or sold by Mr. Hawks. On at least two occasions, Mr. Hawks rapes Ernestine producing two children, Rosalee and James. Ernestine is trapped not only by her desire to keep her children safe, but her master complete possession of her sexuality. If anything, the big house feels like Ernestine’s prison and the field feels like her sanctuary.

           Perhaps, this argument can be extended to Mistress Shaw, but I have not read Northup’s full narrative and the scene where she’s featured in the film is brief. While Mistress Shaw smiles as she relishes in her control over her own slaves, I question what events proceeded her social climb. She too is a product of sex slavery, not in control over her own existence. She and Ernestine are so sexually connected to their masters that if they even dared speak of marrying another slave, specifically a field hand, the repercussion could have been dire. Their masters deemed themselves honorable men for their “humane” treatment of certain slaves, but fail to realize, or maybe they do and do not care, that they are rapists and kidnappers. Their relationships with Ernestine and Mistress Shaw are not rooted in a deep emotional connection (love), but an understanding of having an advantage in a power dynamic giving them the authority to rape these women. My point is not to suggest that neither Ernestine nor Mistress Shaw did not love their masters intimately, but that love is fixed in a sort of Stockholm Syndrome.  

           I’ll close with a return to a title, “The Complexities of Hierarchy.” Working in a plantation home may have meant less physical toil than working in a field. On the surface, these slaves presented the appearance of being treated better. They dressed better, smelled better, ate better food and interacted with the larger society. But we cannot forget an obvious, but I think understated fact: House slaves were still slaves. Even if the most benevolent of slave owners provided their house slaves with amenities some white folks lacked, these slaves were still slaves. They did not possess ownership of their bodies. If they incurred the wraths of their masters, they could be beaten, sold or even killed just as easily as any field hand. In the “What would you rather be” debates that I’ve overheard and have even been a part of, I think this point is lost in our attempts to hold the house slave on a pedestal and glamorize their lifestyle. But do not forget that these men and women were no freer than that field hands that so many reject in the hopes of finding a silver lining to slavery. Slavery has no silver living…

[abovegroundrailroad]

“Truancy threatened planters’ sense of mastery and their security in the moneymaking purpose of their farms. At least as importantly, through absenteeism enslaved people established a form of spatial knowledge that granted them room and time for themselves, and that they would put to emancipatory uses during the Civil War.”

-Stephanie M.H. Camp

[abovegroundrailroad]

What do you see? Is the third picture a slave owner arrogantly looking out at his ‘property’, or a slave looking up for relief from a long day of laboring? Do you see cotton, the gold of the South, when you see the last picture? Or, as this is Hopkins, do you see the brain’s synapses? Does the blurry violin strike an eerie chord within your soul?  Can you tell the fifth picture is one of a slave with lashes?

These photos have been created to give the impression of the lashes laid upon the backs of countless slaves. Their separate stories of pain and rebellion weave together to show the threads upon which this country was created.

[abovegroundrailroad]

A selection of Black film narratives from the past decade

Below is a selection (by no means exhaustive) of films that exclusively or mostly tell a black narrative with an exclusively or mostly black cast. They are all exceptionally crafted films, and mostly Oscar-winners.

Precious (2009)

Based on the novel Push by Sapphire, this film follows an abused, overweight, illiterate black girl in Harlem. Mo’Nique won an Oscar and Oprah and Tyler Perry produced.

The Help (2011)

An empowering and intensely quotable film about the black nanny’s insubordination in the segregated south. The best pie-related scene in a film, bar none.

Django Unchained (2012)

Tarantino’s proclivity for black narratives is out in full force for this film. It’s as bombastic as any other Tarantino film, and as usual, is mostly about the white characters. Even so, the N-word is used 110 times.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

One of the most critically acclaimed films of all time, and a mostly accurate portrayal of a real-life slave, to boot. The script famously gave Chiwetel Ejiofor such pause that he had to take a break after the lynching scene.

42 (2013)

A relatively milquetoast portrayal of the larger-than-life athlete Jackie Robinson. Still a powerful story.

The Butler (2013)

For whatever reason, this film goes by its director’s name--Lee Daniel’s The Butler. Not the smoothest title but a great performance by Forest Whitaker nonetheless.

Fruitvale Station (2013)

A biographic film about Oscar Grant III, who was unarmed when shot in the back by a white police officer in Oakland California. A powerful illustration of a parallel story to the Freddie Grey murder.

Selma (2014)

The film that resulted in the first Best Picture nomination for a black female director. Selma also has an Oscar-winning score and incredible performances by its cast.

Dope (2015)

An L.A. adventure, coming of age story, and drug culture commentary, all in one. 

Creed (2015)

A follow-up to Rocky Bilbao with a Black protagonist, need I say anything else?

Straight Outta Compton (2015)

A story of the bravado of five cultural rebels who form the dangerous group N.W.A. and spark a social revolution.

The Birth of a Nation (2016)

A literate slave orchestrates an uprising to help his fellow bondmen escape their harsh owner.

Fences (2016)

Denzel Washington and Viola Davis star in this film adaptation of an award-winning play from Pittsburgh.

Hidden Figures (2016)

An all-star class of Black leading ladies propels this dramedy about four black NASA mathematicians.

Race (2016)

A Olympic track star faces racial prejudice at the 1936 Berlin Olympics--under Hitler's reign. A convergence of multiple racial issues.

I Am Not Your Negro (2017)

This is a film that serves to remind us how much progress we still have to make. One of the most polemical black films, ever.

Moonlight (2017)

Probably the only mainstream portrayal of a black LGBT character in a black narrative. Simply stunning.