The Rejection of Whitness (Sort of?)


Dear Elia Kazan (Director of Pinky),

Pinky appears to be one of the few movies during early Hollywood that uplifted Black people and culture and took a jab at racism in America. Through the lens of the main character Patricia "Pinky" Johnson, we see an inner battle with her identity followed soon by the affirmation of her Black identity and choice to reject the promise of a prejudice-free, nice "white" life with a man she loved. This brave narrative is one of the few times the notion of "whiteness" is rejected- definitely angering the majority of the audience in the 1940's. As a Greek-American, was this your goal- to cause uproar and call attention to these issues of passing and racism? What caused you to potentially be an advocate for equality? On another note, I also wondered about the casting of Pinky, why did you choose a white actress for this role? It seemed to contradict your goals and morals in the creation of the film and I believe casting a Black actress who passes as white would add to the film (possibly Lena Horne?). Furthermore, the character of Pinky's grandmother, Dicey Johnson, played into the stereotype of Black older women as "mammies" and submissive maids- exemplified by Johnson's vernacular and mannerisms as well as her relationship with Miss Em. I feel Dicey's character and perspective could have been fleshed out more especially as an older, darker skin Black woman in the South. Overall, this movie was ahead of this time and rightfully challenged the notion of passing in a white identity and racism- with bits revealing police brutality and microaggressions.


-Kaela

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