Medium Post- 10/21/20

Before I engaged with the documentary I had a somewhat comprehensive understanding of the Black Lives Matter movement. This understanding came from the course and course readings but also from interest prior to the class. In the title of the documentary it said “(2016)” so I knew that the video would not be current, but also was produced after the beginning of the movement in 2013/2014. I wondered what the title “stay woke?” would be referring to. I understood what the phrase meant I just was unsure how it would apply to the documentary.

The documentary itself was very compelling. Not only were there substantive interviews and footage, but the film also utilized music and visuals for an emotional effect. One part of the documentary that stood out to me was the mention of the divide between old and young activists. The film explained how there is a generational difference in how the activists pursue change, noting how the Black Lives Matter movement is more about defiance. This reminded me of our class discussion of the role respectability politics and the Black Church in the Civil Rights movement- how respectability and the Church are less influential over Black Lives Matter.

Another part of the documentary that I reacted to was towards the end, during the description of the events that unfolded with the football team at the University of Missouri. The film discussed how the president of the school resigned and how this could be a culture shift of athletes speaking out. I found this a little bit ironic. The documentary came out in 2016, presumably before Colin Kapernick kneeled at a game for the first time in September of 2016. Due to the animosity that Kapernick faced, I would say that this culture shift did not really happen. So, it is interesting that the film was optimistic, it was also notable that the end of the documentary did have a more optimistic mood than the rest of the film.

#relg102