By Katrina Velez
Contributing Writer
As a cultural statement, “Dear White People” speaks volumes.
Set in Winchester University, a fictional Ivy League, the film derives its title from Sam White’s satirical and racially provocative radio show.
The plot is carried by four characters that struggle with their own stereotype casted shadows. Troy Fairbanks, the student government president who secretly writes comedy and smokes marijuana.
And White, who has mixed background conflicts with her feelings of being pressured to “choose a side” for her identity.
Then there’s Colandra ‘Coco’ Connors, a student striving for the spotlight and compromises her behavior to spark racially-driven controversy in order to get attention.
Finally, Lionel Higgins, an undeclared major who wants to write for the school newspaper, but has no desire to fit into a certain group based on his racial or sexual identity.
In the film’s culmination, huge controversy erupts when the prestigious university magazine, Pastiche, decides to host a racially offensive party, which the Black Student Union refuses to tolerate.
As confrontation escalates quickly to violence, Sam White captures the outbreak on footage for her film project to describe the current state of racial relations on campus.
This film comes equipped with an incredibly topical script, as Justin Simien, the film’s director, achieves a unique plot scheme embedded with real-world context that is difficult to digest in one sitting.
The dialogue is burdened with strong racially charged tones, and the scenes speak to real situations every student has witnessed.
But more than a decomposition of racial dynamics, DWP is a commentary on the challenges of forming individual identity in a culture that constantly stereotypes and encroaches self-discovery, whether it stems from social circles, other movies or profit-driven reality TV shows.
We see both the oppressor and oppressed in almost every character as they are sized with labels.
But we also see that every character contributes to the conversation of race, of which the film has done a fantastic job. After you watch “Dear White People,” you’ll want to keep the conversation going.
After the screening of the movie put on by SPC Friday, Jan. 23 in GC 140, students who attended had the chance to participate
in a panel discussion about race. Those leading the panel were part of FIU’s Black Student Union and The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. You can listen to the discussion at FIUSM.com.
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