Decentering Whiteness - A Spoken Word Poem by Darius Simpson

Gabriel Diamond

Director(s):

“I want to talk about how reality can be obscured by a sentence, or how a sentence can be obscured by the color of your skin,” says spoken word poet, Darius Simpson, in this short film created to explore the idea of decentering whiteness in popular imagination. “I invite you to imagine a reality, a moment, a space, where oppressed people don’t ask for permission, don’t dress up in palatable renditions of themselves, and still have all the resources needed to tell their own stories, to call things by their proper names.” Video Credits: Editing by Patrick Barnes Sound design by Bobby Brinkerhoff Director: Gabriel Diamond Producers: Jimmie Briggs and Phil Collis Music: Liberate by Roary Films and people shown in order of appearance: "Killer of Sheep” (1978) Written, directed, edited, and photographed by Charles Burnett "12 Years a Slave” (2013) Directed by Steve McQueen Adapted from the 1853 Slave memoir by Solomon Northrup "Smoke Signals” (1998) Directed by Chris Eyre Screenplay by Sherman Alexie Based on “What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie Deb Haaland, U.S. Representative (CD1, New Mexico) and Joe Biden’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior "Get Out” (2017) Written and Directed by Jordan Peele “Moonlight” (2016) Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins Based on "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney “Boyz n the Hood” (1991) Written and Directed by John Singleton "Yes, Sir, Mr. Bones” (1951) Written and Directed by Ron Ormond “Harmony Lane” (1935) Directed by Joseph Santley “Stand and Deliver” (1988) Directed by Ramón Menéndez 25 former prisoners who were exonerated after spending years in U.S. prisons. Innocence project. "Daughters of the Dust” (1991) Written and Directed by Julie Dash “Do the Right Thing” (1989) Written and Directed by Spike Lee Sex Worker Rally, New York City Cat Hollis, Portland-based stripper and sex worker rights activist Marsha P. Johnson, founding member, Gay Liberation Front, and prominent figure in the Stonewall uprising go 1969 "Killer of Sheep” (1978) (Second Clip) Written, directed, edited, and photographed by Charles Burnett “Do the Right Thing” (1989) (Second Clip) Written and Directed by Spike Lee "She’s Gotta Have It” (1986) Written and Directed by Spike Lee “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins Based on the Novel by James Baldwin “Moonlight” (2016) (Second Clip) Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins Based on "In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney “Do the Right Thing” (1989) (Third Clip) Written and Directed by Spike Lee "Smoke Signals” (1998) (Second Clip) Directed by Chris Eyre Screenplay by Sherman Alexie Based on “What it Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona” by Sherman Alexie “If Beale Street Could Talk” (2018) (Second Clip) Written and Directed by Barry Jenkins Based on the Novel by James Baldwin