Blacks Suceeding Outside the USA.
Hello Folks:
All in all, I thought that this was a good movie. Like many other African-Americans, Ms. Baker went through a lot of b. s. just to get where she was. However, most of you may disagree with me on this, but it probably would have been better if she stayed with her European manager for a little while longer, at least until America began to recognize and respect her as being internationally famous - and not just as an actress to be featured in blackface on a stereotypical minstrel show. Take the case of Bessie Coleman for example ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bessie_Coleman ) - the first Black woman to fly an airplane. Given the fact that Black people were - by law - not even allowed to fly airplanes, Ms. Coleman had to go to France to train as an airplane pilot. As she progressed in her flight training and became better and better at what she was doing, she became more and more famous and both Europeans and Americans began to respect her more. Many years later, upon recognition of Ms. Coleman's achievements, American legislators (lawmakers) began to lift restrictions in regards to Blacks flying airplanes, which eventually led to the flights of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen of World War II. How about the late Marian Anderson ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marian_Anderson ), who is actually more in line with Ms. Baker than Ms. Coleman is, in regards to being an entertainer? Ms. Anderson, the first Black contralto, applied to an American studio for singing lessons, but they responded by saying, "Sorry, we don't take Colored." So, like Ms. Baker, Ms. Anderson had to go across the Atlantic Ocean just to get singing lessons and a contract. As she grew more in fame and popularity throughout Europe, even the Americans began to take heed to her and she was eventually admitted to sing in many theatres that were exclusively White throughout the USA. In all of these cases, it was very common - especially back in the 1800s up to the mid-1900s - for Blacks to go elsewhere - including outside of America - to find success, fortune and fame, since so many White supremacist politicians of America - especially of the ever-discriminatory and segregated South - did its best to educationally/economically/politically/socially stifle the African-American community by legislating/enforcing Jim Crow Laws and Black Codes. How many of you all agree/disagree with me?
WebJock
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/UFOsandHauntedPlaces