‘Dark Girls’ Documentary Slated for Winter 2011 Release

 

By: Shani K. Collins, Your Black World

Is life different for women who are darker than most?  This is the question filmmakers D. Channsin Berry and Bill Duke raise in their new documentary, Dark Girls.  Expected to be released in winter 2011, Berry and Duke seek to raise $250,000 for the movie.  The movie’s trailer is poignant and features the stories of many African-American women who have been negatively judged on the basis of their skin color.

Speaking about the movie, Duke said: “It’s a documentary that chronicles the life history of a lot of women in this nation who are dark-skinned and what they’ve gone through and the impact that that’s had on their lives.”  Berry said: “When Bill called me with the idea of a documentary about dark-skinned women, I was in right away. Being a dark-skinned Black man, like Bill, I have gone through similar traumas. Being separated and discriminated against by our own people. It stifles your self-esteem. Bill and I shared our similar experiences and immediately understood that we knew the best way to approach this.”

Black America’s preoccupation with skin color is an issue that should be discussed within the context of our homes, our schools, our churches and in any positive, constructive learning environment.  The only way to work through the delicate issues surrounding skin color, and intra-racial prejudice and discrimination in the Black community is to address the issues head on, while also acknowledging the deep-rooted pain caused by such issues.  Dark Girls is needed; it’s sure to be a compelling documentary.

However, when discussing the overwhelming complex, multi-faceted issues centered around light and dark skin, it is crucial to remember that within the Black community, the pendulum of bias, rejection and intolerance swings both ways.  The issues surrounding skin color in Black America are far too complex for them to be unilateral.  The movie’s trailer can be viewed here: ‘Dark Girl’ trailer.

Shani K. Collins is a freelance writer.  You may visit her at www.shanicollins.com