Within an article titled “Black Love as Activism,” writer Nicole Jackson makes a striking, though unapologetic statement that “Love is at the very heart of Black love and resistance”. In recognizing this, it then becomes easier to understand love as a staple of Black liberation. Despite its many ups and downs, the intensity one can feel for that outside of themselves has been, and continues to be, the catalyst for many great creations. Love inspires. It breeds art – song, dance, film. That said, such an emotion can also inspire activist endeavors. This is evident in the Black Love Movement – an effort that aims to speak to the ways in which love for and between Black individuals can ultimately lead to resistance, and therefore liberation.
Often viewed as a branch of the #BlackLivesMatter campaign (a response to police brutality and the continuous senseless killings of Black people), the Black Love Movement asks that Black people develop and maintain a love for themselves and those like them. Though perhaps seemingly simplistic upon first glance, this effort calls upon those within the African diaspora to view the seeking of justice and forward movement to be an act of love. Activist aims of this nature might be seen as naive or even ineffective; however, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Within a world where anti-blackness runs rampant, the act of embracing all Black people and our complex culture rich with beauty is an act of resistance by subverting larger, oppressive narratives.
That said, the love this movement speaks of is that which requires accountability. When you love someone or something, you want them to be the best that they can be. This demands that such a love is not an act of enabling, it is of commitment to the betterment of yourself and, as a result, those around you. We empower one another through sharing such an emotion - as it is freeing to both love and be loved.
Black Love also asks that we show up for one another. It requires that in being authentic and in being vulnerable, we also make space for others to do the same. It asks that we free ourselves of ideals born out of White supremacy that center individualism and instead speak to a more collectivist approach. As such, dedication to oneself is then inherently dedication to one’s community. Activist and co-founder of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, Alicia Garza, remarks in her piece “Black Love—Resistance and Liberation,” “State-sanctioned violence and anti-Black racism have shaped economic, political, and cultural landscapes. … So when we create spaces that allow us to be our full selves, unapologetically, we are engaging in acts of resistance and liberation. …We are choosing to live in a world that does not yet exist but one day will surely come”. With this in mind, pre-existing systems of violence, prejudice and hatred naturally suppress Black people from authentically expressing themselves, as we are often conditioned to survive rather than to thrive. However, Black Love as a concept teaches us to go forth with ardor so as to disrupt the prejudice-ridden reality many Black individuals are subjected to. Doing so is not meant to serve as a means of escapism, but rather an effort to convey that the world within which we operate can and will progress for the better.
Interestingly enough, these topics and this movement’s fundamental and foundational principles are tackled within film. Though one could certainly make the claim that Black Love has been featured in almost all art forms, film is to be highlighted for its amalgamation of most elements central to other art forms - particularly visual, auditory, and literary aspects. These films - in this case, those of a fictional nature - capture real-world dilemmas while still placing them in a format where morals and messages alike are embedded so as to empower the viewer.
If Beale Street Could Talk
One prime example of this is showcased within the 2018 film directed by Barry Jenkins If Beale Street Could Talk. Although an on-screen adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name, it provides a visual representation of a love that transcends space and most certainly time. Taking place in Harlem in the early 1970s, main characters Tish and Fonny engage in a love affair that instills them with devotion and determination. Their love for one another empowers them even in the direst of situations: unplanned pregnancy, being jailed as a result of false accusations, and even Fonny’s family’s rampant distaste for Tish.
Though moments of prejudice and even a lack of solidarity amongst characters of color are displayed, they are also foiled by moments of vulnerability between the film’s central protagonists. Anti-blackness defines their lived experience. It’s evident the jobs they can and cannot work and the locations they can and cannot reside; even so, the characters foster a love for one another that does not exist in spite of the outside world, but because of it. These are principles central to the Black Love Movement. Both Tish and Fonny operate within a society fundamentally meant to harden Black people. If they were to be cynical about their situation, they would be surely justified. That said, even outside of the reality they have created, other forms of Black love are showcased - platonic and familial alike - that aid in keeping the pair afloat.
However, it should be noted that the issues the film hones in on are matters that persist in plaguing today’s Black community as racial profiling is still quite a prominent problem. As such, the characters' desires for justice regarding Fonny being subjected to racial profiling speaks to current realities. Tish and her family seeking Fonny’s freedom is an act born out of love, and the dedication that follows to their child as well as to Fonny, even while behind bars, stems from that very same emotion. If Beale Street Could Talk conveys that forward movement can be fought for in the name of care and adoration. This does not negate feelings of anger nor sadness, it simply asks that the foundation from which we build upon is that crafted from a place of passion.
Within the novel, Tish remarks within her narration: “It’s a miracle to realize somebody loves you”. This is true of not only the film’s plot but of Black Love in its entirety. To know that others are backing you and aim to create a space that allows for all like them to be their most authentic selves is to know that you are loved.
Moonlight
Another piece in which these ideals are encapsulated is the 2016 film Moonlight. Also directed by Barry Jenkins, this story begins in the 80s. At its start, it places focus on a young black boy named Chiron residing with his mother - the latter suffering from a severe addiction to crack. This is important to note, as the crack epidemic is at an all-time high for the duration of Chiron’s childhood. As with the previous film, this event is rooted within pre-existing lived realities and systemic issues that have heavily targeted Black and Brown communities.
As Chiron grows, he comes to confront issues of Blackness and masculinity as well as matters of internalized homophobia. As a child, he fosters a connection with a drug dealer, Juan, and his girlfriend, Theresa. In one scene, they emphasize to him that he is no less of a man for his sexual preferences. Though the world may attempt to convince him otherwise through things like slurs, Juan empowers Chiron and instills him with the knowledge that would enable him to combat such narratives with love. Not necessarily for others, but for himself. Interestingly, in doing so, this film and its characters subvert typical stereotypes about men like Juan. He is masculine and dark skin - the latter at times resulting in a hyper (often toxic) masculine picture to be painted of men with such attributes - but conveys his security in his masculinity by being gentle and kind with Chiron. He is also vulnerable in discussing his dislike of his own mother in order to assure Chiron his feelings towards his own are valid, and that he should not be ashamed of them. In this very instance, this film encapsulates two of the foundational ideas upon which the Black Love Movement has been formed: a space has been created for Chiron to truly be himself and that space exists due to an unspoken commitment to vulnerability.
“You gotta define for yourself who you are, can’t let nobody make that decision for you,” Juan remarks. This carries Chiron into his teen years and ultimately adulthood. The act of self-definition requires love and introspection, especially to define oneself in a society that has long since projected a multitude of deprecating labels onto Black individuals. In defining himself, Chiron grows to navigate his sexuality. At one instance, whilst on the beach with classmate Kevin, he experiences his first sexual encounter with another man. He is able to bare his soul to this same classmate in his latter two phases of life exhibited in the film. While he had not been touched again since his aforementioned sexual encounter, as Chiron grows older he seemingly grows to be more confident. Furthermore, though once reunited Kevin and Chiron’s lives are not picture perfect (with the primary having a failed marriage and the latter a drug dealer), here these characters get what could be deemed a happy ending. In discussing their time apart, their transparency grants them a most special reward: the presence of one another.
With all of this in mind, it becomes clear that Moonlight dissolves expectations of Black masculinity. Chiron is conveyed as an individual who is capable of displaying both stereotypically masculine and feminine behaviors. He is intentionally physically hyper-masculine largely due to a continuous internal struggle regarding the traumatic things he has faced as a result of homophobia, but in the presence of the right individual, he is able to demonstrate sincerity.
To put it simply: in the case of Chiron, it becomes clear that Black love can even be so powerful as to bring about the most revolutionary of breakthroughs.
Beyond the Lights
Beyond The Lights, directed and written by Gina Prince-Bythewood, is an intriguing film when it comes to its exhibition of Black Love. In comparison to the previously examined films, this one takes on an interesting approach. Whereas the other films incorporated some element of a past actuality, this piece solely centers, what was then in 2014 when produced, the present. It tackles stardom through the lens of protagonist Noni Jean, who is pressured by her mother to continue to perform in ways that often leave her feeling dissatisfied or, worst case, violated. More so than the previously discussed films, Beyond the Lights presents a plot in which mental health is a prime subject and, as such, is rather explicitly explored.
With that said, in meeting her love interest, Kaz, Noni is saved from her own despair. Through the intuitive connection they share, the two are able to create a bond that serves to shield them from the outside world. It transforms Noni, and in turn, creates something of a sanctuary within which she can safely navigate who it is she aims to be - not only as a performer but as a person. The film primarily places focus on her growth - an element integral to the Black Love Movement itself. Although not linear, her journey is highlighted by those outside of her who seek to aid in her betterment. As her lover, Kaz holds Noni accountable. He is communicative about the ways she can both do and be better and does his best to support her along the way. She becomes her truest self as a result of his love, all the while combating a mother who prioritizes capitalistic aims and monetary gain rather than her own daughter’s well being.
In doing so, Noni also finds it within to confront pre-existing oppressive systems. Her mother has crafted her daughter’s image as that which plays into the hypersexualization of Black women so as to garner and maintain fame. When an individual controls their own narrative, this can be seen as empowering. However, when they are subjected to the preferences of others this results in a more complex, repressive reality.
However, once she breaks free of the latter she destabilizes the portrayal upon which her fame had been founded, rebranding herself in a manner best fit. Within the final scene of the movie, Noni stands unabashed on a stage singing a song she had created entitled “Blackbird” - a title emblematic of her newfound freedom. Through love for not only her craft but also for herself (as spurred by her lover), Noni found it within to seek liberation and create a space where she could showcase the manner she truly identified with - a primary pillar of the Black Love Movement.
There is nothing fantastical about the oppressive systems that each of these characters operates within: whether these systems are fueled by racism, classism, homophobia, and/or capitalism, their love is what grounds them. It empowers them to find ways through their struggles, not around them. Black Love allows for emotions like hope and gratitude to persist even in the most harrowing of realities. These films convey these elements of the Black Love Movement best by highlighting love as a response to the injustice and trauma Black people are subjected to. They also convey that love provides a foundation upon which we can build to care for our communities.
This undoubtedly mirrors reality. Outside of film, facing injustice and fighting for change can often lead to burnout, but a love for oneself allows us to know ourselves more intimately and grants us the ability to know when we must take a step back, and when to step forward. It allows us to unlearn and/or transform certain behaviors and, most of all, it emphasizes to ourselves, and to others like us,
that we matter.
all photos are of authors family and loved ones.
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