The Xs & Os of Race/ism: The African American Experience

Did you find the sizzle reel (the video clip) poignant and compelling? We hope so. If you have not watched it yet, please do. My editor told me, "It is hard-hitting." Well, it needs to be. We are living in perilous times and fear and hatred appear to be on the increase. It has been said that the Chinese have an ancient adage, "May you live in interesting time." Lore says this is not a blessing, but a curse. We are certainly living in sad, interesting times with a heightened level of social unrest in the United States and across the globe. Racial profiling, Jim Crow-style behavior, rampant deportations of immigrants, the violent separation of immigrant child and infants from their parents, a seeming increase in police brutality, hatred, fear, ignorance of all sorts enacted prejudice, bigotry, xenophobia, and racism.    

Even so, we still believe in LOVE, civility, as well as the cosmopolitan traits of diversity, inclusion, and multiculturalism. It is our hope that by sharing crucial, historical truths vividly through the medium of film with compassion will literally open the eyes of those blinded by fear, ignorance, and misplaced "self-interest." Frankly, cross-cultural cooperation is in everyone's actual self-interest. Is it not true that "a rising tide lifts all boats." It is true.

While our docu-series will delve into very painful topics and historical matters, with The Xs & Os of Race/ism we intend to offer a social salve to heal fear and ignorance and to reclaim the very best of our humanity and human dignity.

Once we have the cash in hand we will contract with a leading Internet marketer with ties to Google to build the requisite Web infrastructure and presence. We will then use the Web to build an audience for the film, utilize the sites to raise additional funds toward achieving our substantial budget (docu-series are costly), and highlight the project for foundations and other funders.   

“Race” in the United States (and abroad) remains a troubling social subject.  In recent years, the election and reelection of President Barack Obama, deaths resulting from police brutality in the African American community and the consequential emergence of the Black Lives Matters Movement, and Donald Trump’s victory is evidence of America’s continuing “racial” turmoil. Why?  Why is what amounts to complexion, such a touchstone for anger, fear, separation, and oppression—personal and systemic?  The Xs & Os of Race/ism explores this question and provocative subject through the lens of children, their families, and their teachers.  We will also interview scholars, activists, and other experts on the topic of “race.” We expose elementary school students to the biological reasons for varying skin tones.  Using original graphic novel-style artwork, and props that include umbrellas, bones, and bags of groceries, we make the story understandable to children.  In our documentary, we query: Would they learn to see past the socially constructed “racial” categories?  Would they engage each other and their community in constructive conversations that celebrate humanity’s cultural differences?  The answers to these questions emerge in conversations and activities that follow, both in the children’s classrooms and public libraries. These questions and more will be explored in a feature-length documentary series.  This proposed ten-hour documentary will explore “race” and its implications in five full-length segments that highlights the perspectives of:

1.  African Americans (Native, Continental, and African peoples from the Diaspora)

Then, in due season, we will address the lived realities of:

2.  Native Americans and Latinx Americans 

3.  Asian Americans and Polynesian Americans

4.  European Americans

5.  A celebration of Diversity and Multiculturalism: Solutions, Resolutions, and Inspiration

The money raised will support our enterprise and allow us to market this project for production, distribution, and ultimately, broadcast. While it is typically difficult to get docu-series funded, our view is that The Xs & Os of Race/ism is timely, crucial, and necessary to diminish the bigotry, prejudice, discrimination, racism, and xenophobia that seems to be spreading not only in the US but around the globe. All funds raised beyond our goal will allow us to go into production.