From 1940 through 1970. Movies by and about black people, and a few other movies of an "exotic" nature (i.e., "The Manster") are of particular interest to me. These were the formative years of race relations in this country and Black people paved the way so others could come in afterwards and win the rights that they, too, had been denied. These sixteen (16) movies are the product of a writer who reserves the right to pick and choose movies that the race - African people - can benefit from in retrospect and prospect. Some may seem a little out of bounds ("Manster," "Monster from Green Hell") but the racial implications of these movies and the clear messages all of them send represent teaching moments. So it shall be done. I did not see all of these movies. Relying on YouTUBE for snippets and some reviews of these flicks, I used my more than four decades of background in black studies, history and culture to analyze these movies and not just simply "review" them. What is important is the real impact that each of these movies can have on black audiences, both when they were released and in present-day times. That is what concerns me because, as Malcolm X taught, "Of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research." In other words, each movie represents a potential "teaching moment" relevant to the black historical experience. Even the movies that are not about black people offer relevant cultural lessons that we can learn from. I shall briefly go through each of them. The movies are a diverse bunch, some of them from the science fiction genre, some are political in nature, and others are of the romantic drama variety. As the analyst of these movies I reserve the right - and took full advantage of it - to interject the variable of "race" into my assessment of each of these flicks. Please read and enjoy and share these titles with the younger members of your family. There is much that can be learned because in far too many instances, "The past is prologue."
About the Author: Matthew C. Stelly is a doctoral student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee working on a degree in Urban Education and Community Policy. He holds three Master's degrees: Urban Studies (1982), Urban Education (1983) and Political Science (2000). He is working toward his doctorate in Community Policy/Urban Education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is the former editor of the Milwaukee Courier newspaper, former director of the Great Plains Black Museum and the Plano (TX) African American Museum, and lead archivist for The Black Academy of Arts and Letters (TBAAL) in Dallas, Texas. Stelly has more than 2,500 articles in print and has won two national essay competitions. He is the founding director of the largest African-American neighborhood group in Nebraska, the Triple One Neighborhood Association and Parents Union. He is publisher and editor of the Triple One News, a two-time nationally recognized newsletter. He is the father of five children - Mandla, Malik, Clariece, Charisse and Shannon -- and remains actively involved in community organizing and neighborhood development in several cities, including Milwaukee and Omaha.