Gender and Social Exclusion

The Exclusion of Women

• The refusal to perceive females as persons is a conceptually profound exclusion that affects how females are treated and perceived in society.
• This exclusion is sustained by an active manipulation of circumstances that is systematic, habitual, and unacknowledged.

Phallocentrism and Black Masculinity

• Black male phallocentrism constructs a portrait of woman as immoral, irrational, and incapable of reason.
• This representation of womanhood suggests that women have no knowledge to share and do not deserve respect or listening ears from men.
• The film Harlem Nights reinforces this phallocentric representation, portraying black men as tough, violent, and willing to assert power over women.

The Objectification of Women

• In the film, the nightclub represents a world outside the home where creativity and uninhibited eroticism flourish, but this world is also one of risk and objectification.
• Indigo, a female character, becomes the vessel for the reproduction of Bleek, a black man, through having a son.
• Self-effacing, Indigo identifies Bleek's phallocentrism, but ultimately rescues him, and her actions reinforce the notion that women are responsible for redeeming men.

Black Male Sexism and Accountability

• Despite individual black women critiquing black male sexism, many black men continue to act as though sexism is not a problem in black life.
• Black men often blame racism rather than acknowledging and addressing their own sexism and phallocentrism.
• Cultural nationalism and the struggle for black liberation are often seen as a struggle to recover black manhood, rather than addressing the oppression of women and children.

Black Masculinity and Emotional Vulnerability

• Contrary to the phallocentric representation of black masculinity, the film shows that black men are in need of love and care from females.
• Quick, a character in the film, demonstrates emotional vulnerability and a willingness to share, but is ultimately rejected and humiliated.

Black Sexual Politics and Complicity

• The notion that black women are complicit with white patriarchy and betray black men is a fixed idea in the minds of many black men.
• This idea is rooted in historical ignorance, as historical documents show that black women have typically acted in solidarity with black men.
• Black men who advance this notion of complicity often deny their own complicity in perpetuating sexism and patriarchy.

Historical Context of Black Independent Cinema

• In the US, all aspects of black life were socially and institutionally segregated, creating a stable market for black independent cinema.
• The early black film-makers aimed to portray black humanity honestly, contrasting with Hollywood's dehumanizing stereotypes.

Rise of Black Film-Makers and Actors

• A number of rising black film-makers have contributed to the 'new black film wave', including Spike Lee, John Singleton, and Gary F. Gray.
• The success of films like Do the Right Thing, Boyz N the Hood, Friday, and Waiting to Exhale has marked a shift in the industry.
• Black actors and movie stars, such as Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Wesley Snipes, Samuel L. Jackson, and Angela Bassett, are finding work in the industry.

Changes in Black Audience and Consumer Culture

• The black audience has mutated, recognizing themselves as a complex, heterogeneous social formation.
• African Americans now engage with pressing issues of color, caste, class, interracial romance, and sexual orientation.
• The black audience, as consumers, is increasingly enlightened and colonized, shifting from 'be black and die' to 'be black and buy'.

Evolution of Black Film-Making

• Black film-makers have expressed a common aim to portray black humanity honestly, from early rebuttals of The Birth of a Nation to present-day films.
• The new black film-makers are subtly shifting the terrain of the contest for popular representation of blackness by taking their depictions to higher levels.
• As Spike Lee proclaimed, "There has never been a better time to be an African-American film-maker."