White. A memoir in color

Description

In this deeply personal and emotional exploration of racial identity, director Joel Katz shares his family's journey of immigration, assimilation, liberal idealism, bitter disillusionment, and ultimately, reconciliation. The son of Jewish parents, Katz's father became a professor at Howard University. As a white educator working at the nation's preeminent African American college during the turbulent Civil Rights Era, he was subjected to a range of difficult experiences and emotions, including an attack by a student. When Joel Katz also becomes a professor at a predominately non-white university, he must confront his own racial attitudes--but this reflection on race is made all the more important as Joel and his wife enter the adoption process and are faced with the prospect of adopting a non-white child. White: A Memoir in Color chronicles Katz's quest to understand the difficult notion of identity as they select their preferred race for their adoptive baby, and become the parents of a mixed-race child. This film brilliantly exposes the dimensions of race and prejudice in America's multicultural society.

Runtime

60 min

Subjects

Contributor

Geography

Genre

Date of Publication

2012

Database

Alexander Street

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