When we think about “narrating blackness” one thing we should think about are the images of blackness we are encouraged to consume. What images of blackness are celebrated, are we told are good for us? The recent film The Butler, or, at the very least, the marketing for the film, traffics in this sort of image of blackness. In this poster the title character’s silhouette is colored in by the American flag, suggesting the American-ness of his story and of his person. This poster tells us that we should engage in this black man’s story, in this narration of blackness, because it is an American story.
But what of the other black men we see in the film’s trailer? What of the nationalists, the Black Panthers, who are impatient with the program of quiet dignity embodied by The Butler? Isn’t their story also American? Isn’t their pain and frustration and desire for immediate action equally a part of the American story? Are we ever encouraged to engage in that story? If so, when? If not, why not?