Pinky
This truly was the story of a lifetime. A black woman sent off for an education in the North that managed to pass as white returns to her home in a segregated and racist community. Though this is a great story of rediscovering one's racial identity with a newfound pride, I believe it does so in the wrong way. When Pinky begins taking care of Mrs. Em, she rejects the treatment she believes is reserved for the bottom rung of society. Though this is true, she only rejects this feeling because she has lived as a white woman. She is technically "colored", but most of the disrespect she felt in the movie was much milder due to her fair skin. The police slaps the black woman, but only says that he should have slapped Pinky for the same reason; her fiancé withholds his judgment at the news of her heritage, and then decides that it's okay since she looks white, that it's okay because she can hide it easily. And finally, the court scene reveals that, although she is black, she still has the right to an estate with valuable silver and other assets. Why is it that a story of black resilience is told through a portrayal by a white actress and a plot tailored to a white experience?
This truly was the story of a lifetime. A black woman sent off for an education in the North that managed to pass as white returns to her home in a segregated and racist community. Though this is a great story of rediscovering one's racial identity with a newfound pride, I believe it does so in the wrong way. When Pinky begins taking care of Mrs. Em, she rejects the treatment she believes is reserved for the bottom rung of society. Though this is true, she only rejects this feeling because she has lived as a white woman. She is technically "colored", but most of the disrespect she felt in the movie was much milder due to her fair skin. The police slaps the black woman, but only says that he should have slapped Pinky for the same reason; her fiancé withholds his judgment at the news of her heritage, and then decides that it's okay since she looks white, that it's okay because she can hide it easily. And finally, the court scene reveals that, although she is black, she still has the right to an estate with valuable silver and other assets. Why is it that a story of black resilience is told through a portrayal by a white actress and a plot tailored to a white experience?
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