Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class (1968)

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Still a Brother: Inside the Negro Middle Class was released on April 29, 1968, in the USA. The American documentary film was produced by NET. The movie storyline was written by William B. Branch, and directed by William Greaves.

William Greaves[1]

The film's title comes from Horace Morris, a high-ranking Urban League administrator, who argues about the Newark police abusing and threatening his family and says, "No matter how far up the economic ladder you climb, the white man's oppressive prejudice still exists-you're still a brother."[2] It does not really matter how many credentials he has; it can still happen. But still, the film portrays us the concerns we're still dealing with today.

Plot

A who's who of African-American leaders is depicted in the film: John H. Johnson [Johnson Publishing Co.]; St. Clair Drake, a major race sociologist; Julian Bond; Bayard Rustin, a key figure in the Washington March[3].

Controversy

Greaves really looks into the problems that were faced by the black middle class as it tries to find out to what extent black people should integrate with American mainstream society. On Martha's Vineyard, they can afford fancy cars and holidays, but they still face too many of the challenges they encounter before they were able to make the leap.

The death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. nearly halted the screening of this film. After his assassination, cities were burning, but Greaves was likely able to convince the media that it was very necessary to screen this documentary to help white people understand the context behind the sense of despair and outrage that was so evident after King's assassination in black communities across the country[4].

References