The Souls of Black Girls

Here's an excerpt of an interview by Clutch Magazine on The Souls of Black Girls a new documentary film by Daphne Valerius on the double consciousness of black girls growing up. A clever take on W.E.B. DuBois groundbreaking expose into the "duality of people of color" here's a sneak at the interview:

Q: What made you name your film, The Souls of Black Girls?

The title “The Souls of Black Girls” derives from the seminal book by W.E.B Dubois “The Souls of Black Folks” where he discusses the double-consciousness condition where there is a duality of being a Negro and an American in the United States. I was inspired and intrigued by this concept when I was first introduced to it and I was inspired to name my piece, The Souls of Black Girls because I attempt to expand upon the duality of people of color but I wanted to include gender within that very same concept presented by Dubois. So I’ve chosen to expand on the idea that as Black women we have a “triple consciousness” condition where we have to be a Negro, a woman and an American and within that identity we also struggle to define our own standard of beauty.

Comments

[Ennis]

This sounds like an interesting concept, or, at least one deserving further inquiry. I think instead of compartmentalizing these separate "isms" all the time, their "intersectionalities" should be explored. Black Men and Black Women are both existing in America, sharing collective forms of oppressive experiences, yet, those experiences are simultaneously "unique." Double consciousness (Du Bois) was indeed a great start, but these conscious states are social constructions, thus, Black Women and Black Men have myriad constructed consciences, I believe.