I thought
about how
every black
person is
connected- whether
we like it
or not
97White heavyweight?’ The words don’t even go
together. It’s like saying ‘black unity’.”
That’s a quote from the film The Great
White Hype, directed by Reginald Hudlin.
The movie hit theatres in 1996, but for some reason that
joke has always stayed with me.
I think it’s because it spoke to the idea that the only thing
crazier than black people being united was the thought of
a white guy becoming the heavyweight champion of the
world. Back then I thought it was funny, but now it shakes
me to my core – mainly because I know there’s nothing
more powerful than black people coming together as one.
During slavery, it was illegal for a group of black people to
gather without a white person being present. Imagine
how frightened slave owners must have been to make such
a law. They knew that as long as we didn’t come together- as long as we didn’t share ideas, as long as we didn’t see
ourselves in each other – slavery would never end. That’s
how powerful we are when we come together.
When the Million Man March happened, I was only 11
years old. I was too young to understand how significant
that moment was. But I do recall seeing it on TV and being
completely transformed by it. I had never before seen that
many black people in one place. That day, I understood
that being black wasn’t just a part of my identity, it was
a privilege. Of course, it’s not lost on me that the event
had its problems – women were excluded, and it wasn’t that
inclusive of the queer black community, either, but at the
time it was revolutionary.
Some might say it was a phenomenal moment, so what
happened next? What did we do, as a community, to maintain
that sense of togetherness? I don’t have the answers, but
I do know there are millions of black people in America and
we are not a monolith. Even though we are connected, we >A R TS & C U LT U R ESTRENGTHIN UNITYProducer, actor and TV writer
Lena Waithe’s debut feature film
explores the issue of race in America- a subject close to her heart
JOE PUGLIESE/AUGUST IMAGE. DIGITAL ARTWORK: TAYLOR LIGHT11-19-FOB-Viewpoint-LenaWaithe.indd 97 10/09/2019 16:41