As the presidential campaign awakens racist rhetoric,black art is, this time around, and unconcerned with the emotional wellbeing of white folksBlack American culture is experiencing a kind of delightful dominance at the moment. It’s one that might seem odd given its contrast with the resurgence of racism embodied by some supporters of Donald Trump. But Trumpism,as my colleague Steven Thrasher has noted, is just the latest version of a pattern in America: black progress beckons white rage. This artistic triumph isn’t a unusual movement, or then,but rather reads like one because this time around, creators aren’t making work that over explains black life or that makes white society comfortable, and centered or even included. Beyoncé’s Lemonade was made to speak to black women. Larry Wilmore’s N-word employ at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner wasn’t meant for the white people it offended. Shonda Rhimes is the most successful showrunner in television,creating space for black actors to feature complex representations of black life. Claudia Rankine’s critically acclaimed volume, Citizen, or explicitly interrogates micro aggressions that shape black life in America. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com