February 2024 - Black History and American Fiction
As Black History Month wraps up, I recommend that you watch American Fiction. Based on Percival Everett’s novel, Erasure (2001) and adapted for the screen by Cord Jefferson, it is not strictly about history. But it is rooted in a very real conversation about race in America. It’s “almost a documentary,” chuckles Jeffrey Wright, noting that it’s both absurd and believable. Wright is nominated for Best Actor for his portrayal of Thelonius “Monk” Ellison, a contemporary writer and professor trapped in the expectations of much of white America.
Race is complex, Wright admits. While it’s a sociopolitical construct, it’s essential to who he is. Fortunately, he adds, it hasn’t limited his acting career. But it does limit Monk when teaching college, negotiating with publishers, or arguing with a bookstore to move his Greek-tragedy-inspired novels from the “African American Studies” section to the “Mythology” section. Throughout the film, white assumptions about Black “authenticity” silence Black voices. The realism of these satirical portrayals made me cringe.
Wright speaks about the historical appropriation of Black voices, such as British Shakespearean actors portraying Othello in blackface and characters played by T. D. Rice, the “father of American minstrelsy.” Rice exaggerated African American vernacular speech and gestures in creating the devastating characters like “Jim Crow,” “Mamie,” and “Zip Coon.” These unflattering stereotypes deepened racial oppression.
Wright’s character, Monk, is infuriated by the sudden success of author Sintara Golden, played by Issa Rae. Her use of racial stereotypes in her book We’s Lives in Da Ghetto fits the shallow assumptions of white readers. As a mocking challenge, Monk adopts the pseudonym “Stagg R. Leigh” and submits a manuscript rife with absurd racial clichés. To his shock, it is praised as a masterpiece.
The irony of American Fiction is important to Wright. He explains, “we aren’t necessarily taking ourselves overly seriously and we’re having a laugh about it and allowing the audience to have a laugh, too.” Laughter opens up the conversation so that more people can develop what Wright calls, “greater fluency” in speaking about our history and racism.
To add nuance to this conversation, Wright insists, we need to hear a wider range of stories. “It’s about representation ,” Wright explains. It’s not about selecting a single narrative, but adding more voices. While this may not solve racism, it will move social dialogue forward.
What might be most important about the film is that it was so… wonderfully ordinary and human. According to journalist Sarah Lyall, Wright was attracted to “the story at its core, in which Monk grapples with a cascade of crises that have nothing to do with race — his mother’s dementia, his siblings’ disarray and the revelation of painful family secrets.” Wright says that this portrayal is the most subversive part of the film. It overturns expectations of what a Black family looks like. Monk’s family was full of weakness and gifts, wounds and joy, like any family. It’s universal.
It's easy to identify with Monk because, while he’s a victim of literary racial profiling, he’s flawed just like anyone. Called out by the women in his life, Monk more deeply considers his shortcomings. He evolves, becoming a caretaker for his family. This, Wright says, offers hope. These beautiful people find salvation in their relationships.
This salvation, full of love, laughter, and fearlessness, helps us be honest about our past. “We have to take in the history more fully,” Wright says, “or we will be lost.” Today, as we struggle with conversations about race, humor helps. Jeffrey Wright laughed at how much of himself he saw in Monk Ellison. I’m just grateful that they are both engaging us in this conversation.
FURTHER ACTIONS:
1) Read Percival Everett’s novel, Erasure (2001) and have a book discussion.
2) Learn about the genius and persistence of another actor, Bert Williams, called by some America’s first leading Black man for his role in the 1914 production, Darktown Jubilee. According to Momen Zellmi, of Breaking News Network, Jeffrey Wright said: “Bert Williams’ story is a reminder that, even in the face of adversity, the power of the human spirit and the pursuit of one’s passions can lead to extraordinary accomplishments that resonate for generations to come.” About Williams, Booker T. Washington wrote, "He has done more for our race than I have. He has smiled his way into people's hearts; I have been obliged to fight my way."
3) Support “complete history education” that includes the stories of all Americans, even those traditionally excluded. Fight the censorship of curriculum so that students can develop fluency in discussing all sides of U. S. History.
4) Watch more of Wright’s films when he plays historical characters such as Muddy Waters, Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Gen. Colin Powell. His ability to humanize them is impressive. Wright explains that when playing such characters, he tries to find a “love for them” that helps tell their story with integrity.
5) Watch the clip on this page from the Emmy Award winning 1987 documentary, Ethnic Notions, that explores racial stereotypes that developed in the early 1800’s and continues on in new and varied forms today.