Because there are painfully fewer creative outlets for Black folk in comparison to the dominant culture, far too big a burden is put on the television shows, plays, visual art, and books that do get circulated. And this has characterized the discussion of Black culture from the beginning of this country. When it comes to broadly circulated visual representation, the stakes are especially high -- and typically contradictory. Every film must abide by strict standards and solve every issue: uplift the race but don't neglect the downtrodden, be positive and redemptive yet probe the dark dimensions of Black life, engage white supremacy but underscore Black agency, depict the trauma of slavery but show how slavery didn't exhaust our identities, renounce the politics of respectability but don't embarrass Black folk, embrace the streets but don't romanticize thugs, appreciate the diaspora but don't give too many parts to African actors.
-- Michael Eric Dyson, Long Time Coming, p. 161-162
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