Frontline: Two Nations of Black America
by Henry Louis Gates;Jr.
List Price:
Our Price: $12.90
You Save: $12.09 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Director: Henry Louis Gates;Jr.Brand: PBS
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 60 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-05-06
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: PBS
DVD Reviews of Frontline: Two Nations of Black America
DVD Review: Much Left off the Table
Summary: 4 Stars
This was good in terms of trying to bring up a lot of material in a short matter of time. They brought up DuBois' coining and abandoning of the "Talented Tenth" concept. It spoke of how Dr. King was assassinated right before he was trying to head a march that addressed poverty.
In style and format, this work is very similar to Skip Gates' "Color Line" documentary. Just like with that work, I felt that this work was a bit "dumbed down." Gates' "Signifying Monkey" is no easy afternoon read. Here he asks questions of which I know he knows the answers. Yes, it is great that Gates can speak to elite and quotidian audiences, but still there's a way in which these works are "beneath" him. If Mariah Carey sung a nursery rhyme, I would not be impressed the way I am when she belts out those high notes in her radio hits. That same feeling applies to Dr. Gates.
Still, class divisions are not necessarily new in Black American communities. Even pre-Civil Right Era, there were parties to which only the richest were invited. There were monied Blacks who looked down upon poor Blacks. The difference between then and now is that Blacks of all classes were not allowed to live in white areas or attend white educational institutions. I really wish the work touched on how classism and colorism intersect. That goes back all the way to who slaved in the house and who slaved in the fields. There is still a perception that rich Blacks will be light-skinned and poor Blacks will be dark-skinned. Unfortunately, that never comes up here.
Too, there were issues brought up outside of the discussion. One sees Dr. Angela Davis critiquing the Million Man March. What did that have to do with class divisions?! Gender divisions, yes, but class divisions, no! (I attended and I thought Black men across class designations were present.) Later, Dr. Gates says, "Harvard Yard feels more like home than Africa does." And what does that have to do with class!? Also, please note that while Black women are present, this work is heavily skewed male and some viewers may find that highly problematic.
Countless interviewees here say, "Class is just as important as race." I would never contest that. However, that contention has been misused by the Far Right and that piracy is never brought up here. Dr. Gates interviews Dr. W.J. Williams who first studied class' equivalence to race. Unfortunately, the work never speaks of how conservatives used Dr. Williams' book to say, "Okay, see, this is why one should never bring up racism again!" There are plenty of people who never once contributed money to educate working-class students, but those same people will be the first in line to shout, "Race-based affirmative action should be dismantled and only class-based affirmative action should be allowed!" Many Black youth in the suburbs embrace fashion and films associated with the ghetto. Dr. Gates's new colleague Lani Guinier stated that working-class and middle-class Blacks tend to vote for the same politicians, so when Supreme Court Justices opine "Why can't electoral districts be carved by class, rather than race?" they are wrongfully ignoring a category that still has salience. The avoidance of how class-based activism can be highjacked is highly problematic to me.
Description of Frontline: Two Nations of Black America
Studio: Pbs Release Date: 05/05/2009 Run time: 60 minutesBestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
CNN Presents: Black in America 2Release date: 2009-11-02; DVD
Best price: $29.95
The Black Power MixtapeMPI; Release date: 2011-12-13; DVD
Best price: $12.49
Price in other shops:
Slavery and the Making of AmericaPBS; Release date: 2005-02-09; DVD
Best price: $38.85
Price in other shops:
American Experience: Freedom RidersPBS; Release date: 2011-05-17; DVD
Best price: $12.38
Price in other shops:
Leaving CleaverPBS; Release date: 2008-05-06; DVD
Best price: $12.98
Price in other shops:
Eyes on The Prize: America's Civil Rights Years 1954-1965PBD; Release date: 2010-04-06; DVD
Best price: $22.27
Price in other shops:
America Beyond the Color LinePBS; Release date: 2005-02-08; DVD
Best price: $8.64
Price in other shops:
African American LivesAfrican American; Release date: 2006-05-02; DVD
Best price: $9.95
Price in other shops:
Black in Latin AmericaPBS; Release date: 2011-06-14; DVD
Best price: $15.60
Price in other shops:
African American Lives 2African American; Release date: 2008-05-06; DVD
Best price: $11.47
Price in other shops: