“When I use the word ‘Black,’ I don’t use it as a way to disconnect ourselves from anyone — I use it as a way to put an interjection point behind our superiority.”
If you’re acquainted with Nia Long’s résumé, then you know she flatters herself by telling stories that emphasize and scour the Black experience.
But when it comes segregating movies into categories like “Black movies” or directing to certain celebrities as “Blackfamous,” Nia isn’t feeling it.
Well, During the press tour of her latest film The Best Man: The Final Chapters In an interview She was asked she let her thoughts on these now–commonly used words, and clarified why she believes they “hold us back.”
Movies with a primarily Black cast are frequently classified as “Black movies” instead of according to their genre (like drama or comedy), while other movies— except international films — aren’t subject to the identical categorization.
“I think terms like that hold us back,” Nia told. “And I have to witness myself sometimes too because I’m very proud of who I am.”
“When I use the word ‘Black,’ I don’t use it as a way to disconnect ourselves from anyone — I use it as a way to put an exclamation point behind our greatness because I don’t think that it’s always been honored and acknowledged.”
Nia added that she’s a lover of humankind, and multiculturalism is really essential to her. And while she’s unapologetically Black in real life and onscreen, she likes people to know that the art she makes is available for everyone to relinquish.
“I’m here to illustrate who we are, and if you want to come along for the ride, everyone’s welcome!”
Nia will next be seen in “The Best Man: The Final Chapters”.
