Kairos: Dear White People (2014)

Dear White People is film directed by Justin Simien that takes place in fictional Winchester University, where African American college students continue to deal with the stigma that comes with being black in a predominantly white institution.  It is one of the few films produced in this time period that addresses race-related issues in the present day.  Typically, we see films like Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom or Selma, which are movies that are produced recently; however, they are not about recent events.  As a result, the audience makes the mistake of attempting to separate the past from present events and burying the racism that is still prevalent today.  Dear White People unearths all of it and brings it out into the open, declaring that this is still a prevalent issue that needs to be discussed.  After watching the movie, this leads people to talk about the uncomfortable issues of race, identities, stigmas, stereotypes, and working towards changes in social norms and ideologies.  Race has become such a sensitive topic that no one wants to touch because it is so easily to offend others; but, this is the only way for change to happen.  There are no concrete answers to resolve this issue of race; but, that does not mean that it can be ignored until it goes away, because it won't.  Dear White People is a bold film (especially in this era with a title like that) that serves as a tremendous catalyst for discussion and generates an awareness that events like the Baltimore riots or Ferguson and what happens in Winchester University are not as far apart as people want to believe. – Joshua Davis