Black Is… Black Ain’t

A personal journey through Black identity

Black Is… Black Ain’t — Plot

African-American documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs was working on this final film as he died from AIDS-related complications in 1994; he addresses the camera from his hospital bed in several scenes. The film directly addresses sexism and homophobia within the black community, with snippets of misogynistic and anti-gay slurs from popular hip-hop songs juxtaposed with interviews with African-American intellectuals and political theorists, including Cornel West, bell hooks and Angela Davis.

• Release date
• October 11, 1995
• Runtime
• 87 min
• Genres
• Documentary
• Director
• Marlon Riggs

Black Is… Black Ain’t — Cast

Marlon Riggs Self Angela Davis Self

b

bell hooks Self Essex Hemphill Self Cornel West Self

M

Maulana Karenga Self

B

Barbara Smith Self

M

Michele Wallace Self