It's amazing how so many people are able to pretend that racism and prejudice no longer exist and are shocked (or at least pretend to be) when life reminds us all, that while there may be an African- American man in the White House, racism and prejudicial acts are alive and well.  Many people, Blacks included, said they were shocked by the comments of Donald Sterling; many people, Blacks included, said they were shocked that the Los Angeles chapter of NAACP on its 100th anniversary was going to give Sterling the lifetime achievement award - despite his known history of racism.   Again, many people these past few days, say they are once again shocked that the extra casting company, Sande Alessi Casting, is using what many call racist, demeaning, offensive and divisive racial stereotyping tactics in the casting of African-American women for the Universal Picture film in pre-production, Straight Outta Compton about N.W.A. 

By the way, the film is being directed by F. Gary Gray, the African-American director of the Italian Job staring Mark Wahlberg, Charlize Theron, and Donald Sutherland. 

The original casting notice from Gawker.com (It was on the Sande Alessi Casting Facebook Site, now deleted)

SAG OR NON UNION CASTING NOTICE FOR FEMALES-ALL ETHNICITIES- from the late 80's. Shoots on "Straight Outta Compton". Shoot date TBD. We are pulling photos for the director of featured extras. VERY IMPORTANT – You MUST live in the Los Angeles area (Orange County is fine too) to work on this show. DO NOT SUBMIT if you live out of the area. Nobody is going to be flying into LA to do extra work on this show - and don't tell me you are willing to fly in.

SAG OR NON UNION FEMALES - PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR SPECIFIC BREAKDOWN. DO NOT EMAIL IN FOR MORE THAN ONE CATEGORY:

A GIRLS: These are the hottest of the hottest. Models. MUST have real hair - no extensions, very classy looking, great bodies. You can be black, white, asian, hispanic, mid eastern, or mixed race too. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: A GIRLS

B GIRLS: These are fine girls, long natural hair, really nice bodies. Small waists, nice hips. You should be light-skinned. Beyonce is a prototype here. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: B GIRLS

C GIRLS: These are African American girls, medium to light skinned with a weave. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: C GIRLS

D GIRLS: These are African American girls. Poor, not in good shape. Medium to dark skin tone. Character types. Age 18-30. Please email a current color photo, your name, Union status, height/weight, age, city in which you live and phone number to: [email protected] subject line should read: D GIRLS

After it went viral and amid MUCH backlash, it was taken off Facebook.  Now posted on the website of Sande Alessi Casting is:

We are casting extras (African American adults age 18-90) for the new NWA biopic “Straight Outta Compton”
are looking for African American men, age 18-35 with hairstyles fitting the period of 1985 to 1992 (cornrows, braids, high top fades, flat tops, Jheri curl, afros, initials, zebra stripes, shags etc..) We also need gang member types, family members and guys with street swag, age 18-90. We are also seeking all types of African American women, age 18-90 years old (hot models, sassy around-the-way girls, moms, aunts, neighbors.. 

On their Facebook, an apology:
This is Kristan from Sande Alessi Casting. I've been wanting to say this for two days and now I can. 
I would like to sincerely apologize for recently posting a casting announcement that used offensive language to recruit women for a film our agency is working on. My intention was not to offend anyone and I’m so deeply sorry for not realizing the insensitivity in its content. I'm truly so sorry.

One response to this Facebook post is by a Black gentleman who states:
"I don't think it was offensive. I think ppl overreacted. People who don't necessarily understand Hollywood. Spectators and people who look for something to point out for their very own benefit"


Notice for Girl A, "the hottest of the hottest" can be of any race.  Notice how as you continue to read to Girl D they are only African American Girls.  Many people are angry with the casting agency.  Others think it's just Hollywood, get over it.  One Black woman was begging the casting agency to let her be in the movie.  According the the A, B, C, D, categories she would have been …. Naw, let's move on because I sincerely hope she has. Honestly.  However, let's investigate this a little more in depth.   "Do we REALLY believe that the casting agency decided upon this breakdown by themselves, with no input?" Hmm… wink, wink….Are we going to be "shocked" to learn that there were more involved in this breakdown of Black women as more light is shed?  Oh, and all those who think that when the movie comes out, Girl D will look any different from what is described above, in the original casting notice, please raise your hand.

Am I Black?  I was completing a survey for a project I was working on recently, and it asked that I select one:


Race:
American Indian or Alaskan Native
Asian
Black or African American
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
White

Ethnicity:
Hispanic or Latino
Not Hispanic or Latino

For some reason, I still don't know why to this day, but I hesitated.  I didn't want to check anything.  I, like most Black people I know, grew up knowing we were "Black," no question about it.  As a people, we've been referred to as Colored, Afro-American, Negro, Black, African American (with or without a hyphen), Black-American, to name a few.  It's interesting to see in this present day how many people throughout the world, Africans included, who also refer to themselves as Black. 

I was sitting at a cafe a yesterday, when I overheard a group of elderly Black women telling stories of how they referred to themselves racially.  One woman who was obviously from another country (her accent) was laughing and saying she didn't know she was "Black" until she came to America.  The DMV helped her realize that when she went to get a driver's license.  As this lady was filling out the paperwork, she got to race and she didn't see African.  When she told them this, they told her to mark Black.  The confused lady looked at the White man behind the counter and said, "Black? But I am not black.  Can you not see?  I am brown."  The man told her again to mark Black. Confused and thinking the man could not decipher colour differences, so said, "Sir, I cannot mark black, because I am not black. This, this is black," - referring to the black file tray on his  counter.  The man looked at her for a moment then said, "You're in America now, and in America, you are Black. So mark Black."  On that day, years ago in the DMV office, this woman learned for the first time that she was Black.  

For some reason when I heard that story, my mind flashed to Kunta Kinte from "Roots".  He may have been Kunta Kinte in Africa, but in America, whether he liked it or not, his name was now Toby.  Now I want to make clear that I am not comparing the atrocities of slavery to a DMV experience. Rather, it is interesting that how one sees and knows themselves is often not in line with the labels those in power force upon us.

I can't help but wonder if the labeling, the categorizing of a group of people based on assigned color as a clarification of who we are, who we must be, has united or stripped a people of their identity?