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Is Disney's "Princess And The Frog" Film Racist?

Other than Fat Albert, can you name any other Black cartoon character? When you think of cartoon animation, Disney Productions is thought of as the world's best in overall quality. When my kids were little I'd rent Disney DVD's as a form of good, somewhat educational entertainment. But Disney has never had a Black leading character until now. 

I call this another positive example of the Obama effect, waking corporations up to the need for diversity in their product appeal  and finally coming to terms with the fact that most of the world is comprised of people of color. But when you fail to have Black people and other minorities involved in the creative process, sometimes this attempt at cross over appeal can back fire, especially when those bias tendencies and preferences remain in place.

 

Disney in a fix for mixing it up in black princess tale

by JO STEELE

 

Disney probably thought it would be applauded for starring its first black princess in its latest fairy tale.

But its choice of supporting hero has created quite a stir on the internet - her dashing man is white.

Prince Naveen of Maldonia, voiced by Brazilian actor Bruno Campos, is meant to be of Middle Eastern heritage but bloggers say he simply looks white.

Disney has missed a chance to give a black couple the happily ever after treatment in upcoming film The Princess And The Frog, said others.

'It's saying that black love isn't good enough and that black men could never be princes,' said one woman. 'Disney had the perfect chance to make its first black prince but instead it decided to go the controversial route.'

Some complained the evil voodoo villain - who turns the prince into a frog - is black and voiced by a black actor.

Disney defended its choice, saying it wanted a multi-cultural cast featuring a 'prince from a far-away land'. It added: 'Many high-profile leaders from the African American community have applauded our efforts on this film.'

The film also became embroiled in a race row in July after it emerged Disney had wanted the heroine to be a chambermaid working for a spoilt white débutante in 1920s New Orleans.

It sparked a backlash from critics who felt it reinforced prejudice and demeaned black people.

The Princess and the Frog is due out in cinemas in February next year.

Watch the teaser trailer below:

Is Disney insensitive by not pairing a Black Cinderella with a Black Prince or is this another example of Black people over reacting? How do you think people would react if it had been a white Cinderella with a black prince? What do you think?

What Does the Red Tails Movie, George Lucas And Black Jesus Have To Do With Truth?

"A War Department study in 1925 expressly stated that Negroes didn't have the intelligence, or the character, or the leadership to be in combat units, and particularly, they didn't have the ability to be Air Force pilots."

George Lucas has said that it took him nearly 20 years to get his latest film made because it is an all black movie.

Director George Lucas, speaking on The Daily Show, said that he had to self-fund the film, Red Tails, which follows the true story of a group of African American pilots who fought in World War 11.

According to Mr Lucas, he invested $68 million of his own money into the movie because film studios would not back it because there were no major white roles in it. Lucas's comments echo those of Spike Lee, who criticized the lack of black faces in Hollywood war movies in 2008.

In Red Tails, the phrase and picture of Black Jesus below becomes a symbol of strength and determination for one pilot in particular.

Black Jesus As Seen In Red Tail

Just as the Tuskegee pilots proved that the war department statement above, stating the inferiority of Black men is a lie, the creators of this movie also felt it was important to include a true image of Jesus Christ as a man of color.

To get the biblical and scientific facts click on Proof Black Jesus in the upper right of this site.

Thanks you George Lucas for his courage to not let racism continue to get in the way of the truth about the Tuskegee Airman and Jesus Christ.

“Tuskegee Airmen” refers to all who were involved in the so called “Tuskegee Experiment”, the Army Corps program to train African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircrafts. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators and bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors and all personnel who kept the planes in the air.

Here is the documentary On Freedoms Wings, The Legacy of the Tuskegee airmen.

Part 1

For smoother viewing click the start button, then click stop, allowing the grey or red line to fill to the far right.

On Freedom's Wings:The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen Part 2

 

On Freedom's Wings: The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen Part 3

On Freedom's Wings: Thelegacy of the Tuskegee Airmen Part 4

On Freedom's Wings: The legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen Part 5

The Tuskegee Airmen are American Heros, that's why all true Americans should be willing to see it. Take your children and see Red Tail now to restore your faith in humanity and help Mr. George Luccus make back his money.

"Those Who Don't Know Their History Are Destined To Repeat It."

Click here to learn more about the Tuskegee Airmen.

The Barber Of Birmingham- Nominated For A Academy Award

Our Forefathers Paved The Way For All Americans To Live Free

The Barber Of Birmingham did not win last night but it's message is no less important.

The project was initiated in summer 2008 by Robin Fryday, a Bay Area photographer.

The potential nomination of Barack Obama as the first African American president awakened a strong impulse to explore the impact of unfolding events on the aging Civil Rights activists in the South. A research trip to Alabama confirmed her belief that the stories of those who fought for the right to vote in the 1960s needed to be captured and preserved in the context of unfolding events. She knew that African Americans who lived through the tumultuous era in the South would have stories to tell that would not be replicated anywhere else in the country. The idea for a documentary film was born.

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While Robin had never spent much time in the South, she found herself making important connections with contacts in Birmingham and Selma who would help guide her quest to uncover potential characters to film. Fortuitously she was guided to the barbershop of James Armstrong and immediately assessed that he would be a strong central protagonist. She returned to the Bay Area in search of a potential partner to join her on the project and help to translate her inspiration into film. She was introduced to veteran documentary producer/director Gail Dolgin who recognized the potential for a strong and important program and joined forces with Robin.

Production had to begin almost immediately in order to capture the days leading up to the Election and the Election itself. They agreed that the film would give voice to African Americans who had participated in the struggle and feature Mr. James Armstrong and his barbershop as key to the unfolding events. Mr. Armstrong enthusiastically agreed to participate. We determined that our approach would be intimate and required a trusting relationship with our key protagonists. Personal story telling was key to our design.

Gail and Robin are sharing producer/director roles but defined by the different levels of filmmaking experience each brings to the project. Robin took the leadership in establishing and maintaining connections in Birmingham and Selma. Gail was the primary interviewer and director on location and in the edit room. Both bring different skills but a shared vision.

12 Years A Slave And Malcolm X

Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup is a memoir of a black man who was born free in New York state but kidnapped, sold into slavery and kept in bondage for 12 years in Louisiana before the American Civil War. He provided details of slave markets in Washington, DC, as well as describing at length cotton cultivation on major plantations in Louisiana.

It is from this compelling true story that director Steve McQueen has made an increditble movie with the goal making this book required reading in every history class where the subject of slavery is even touched upon to give black and white children a early understanding of not only the brutality of slavery but the unresolved relationship today between black and white people on a global basis where ever slavery existed.

In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup, a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery. Facing cruelty at the hands of a malevolent slave owner, as well as unexpected kindnesses, Solomon struggles not only to stay alive, but to retain his dignity. In the twelfth year of his unforgettable odyssey, Solomon's chance meeting with a Canadian abolitionist will forever alter his life.

On a personal note, this was one of the most compelling movies I've ever seen about the strength, resilience, tenacity and divine guidance of our ancestors. It not only gives perspective about the past,  it also gives context about the social and political plight that Black people face globally.  It further gives insight to the educational and economic disparities and barriers that are intentionally in place to restrict and  limit Black people today. As I watch the slave master during this movie reading passages in the bible to justify his  inhumane cruelty, I was reminded of a passage that Malcolm X wrote:

Malcolm X wrote about white supremacists and slaveholders using Christianity to justify their “moral” and “racial superiority” over Blacks. In Malcolm’s own words, “The Holy Bible in the white man’s hands and its interpretations of it have been the greatest single ideological weapon for enslaving millions of non-white human beings.” Throughout history, whether it was in Jerusalem, Spain, India, or Africa, so-called white “Christians” cultivated a twisted interpretation of religion that was compatible with their colonialist agenda. And racism was a key component of their atrocities.

If you believe we should know our history, if you think we and our schools are failing to teach our children the true facts about Black History, then I urge you to do  3 things, especially if you have school age children.

1. Buy them the book and have them read it.

2. Take them to see this movie

3. Go to your school's principal and history teachers and ask them for their supoort in making this book required reading.

So much of the increasing behavioral issues we are seeing with our children today come from them not knowing who they are, where they come from, and where they fit in.  Its up to Black people to address this.