Off The Glass; The Ritchie Campbell Case Study and The Blackness Project
Abstract
In this thesis, I will argue how the misrepresentation of African Americans in the media creates barriers to advancement within our society and leads to systemic forces that hinder African Americans as a whole. I will argue how the mass incarceration of African Americans due to these policies prove to have long term effects on the African American family. I will provide examples from 2 feature length documentaries that I created to support my argument. Off The Glass; The Ritchie Campbell Story and The Blackness Project. Off The Glass; The Ritchie Campbell Story takes and up close and personal look into the life of the former basketball star who grew up in poverty and struggled with learning disabilities, lack of positive role models, a family history of substance abuse, and incarceration. The film is used as a case study to create awareness of what happens to many urban youth despite being talented. The Blackness Project is a featured length documentary film about culture and race from the perspectives of African American and other minorities. By analyzing these films, I will thoroughly argue how the United states has created an uneven playing field with a disadvantage to urban communities, and systematically invoking polices that create a cycle of incarceration and generation poverty in the black community.