A Question of Color

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A documentary film with the title A Question of Color. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound. The film explores feelings many African Americans harbor about themselves and their appearance. It opens with a quote by author bell hooks about how black people can change the way they are seen by themselves and others before segueing to a scene in which a young woman (Curtina Jones) relates her experience dating a man whom she describes as "very dark skinned" but who refused to allow her to meet his mother because she was too dark. In the next scene, a chorus rehearses various words and idioms used to refer to skin color and hair texture such as ebony, coal black, tar baby, red, red bone, chocolate, nappy, good hair etc. Later in the film, Dr.

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