All my friends that had saw it before me, said I would leave the theater feeling really depressed and angry. However, I left feeling inquisitive and inspired. I don't want to spoil the film for anyone that has not seen it, but the film unmasks many issues that plague African American girls and women. These criminal, physical, emotional and health issues are rarely discussed in the African American community. Seeing all the problems happening simultaneously was indeed overwhelming. Black girls and women experience these problems simultaneously.
These experiences go on unnoticed by society and policymakers for many reasons. The emphasis on discretion in black families, lack of trustworthy reporting centers and, quite frankly, no money to pay for medical care are just a few. Violence was involved in many of the stories described in the film, but none of them women were criminals. When looking at urban violence, policy makers and researchers tend to look at girls and women that are in group homes or correctional facilities.
That is where I come in. If you have not seen the movie, please go see it! If you have seen the movie, don't leave it thinking "wow, Tyler Perry made black men look terrible." Consciously, think about the critiques of political, social and economic systems embodied in the male characters. The stories seem far-fetched, some maybe, but I have seen many in my own community.
My research will take me into Hunter's Point and start investigating what's really going on in the lives of these girls. A scholar that has done a qualitative study with African American adolescent girls is Jody Miller in Getting Played.
