What does it mean to be black? That’s one of the questions the documentary Colour Me tackles as it follows youth leader and motivational speaker Anthony McLean into Brampton where he mentors six youth grappling with their identity.
The documentary is being shown at York in commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Racism, March 21, by the Centre for Human Rights in collaboration with the York United Black Students’ Alliance (YUBSA).
Colour Me will screen Wednesday, March 21, at 280N York Lanes, Keele campus. A light lunch will be served starting at 12:30pm with the film beginning at 1pm. It’s free and open to the entire York community.
This award-winning film challenges viewers to re-examine how they think about race. A motivational speaker, McLean runs a groundbreaking mentorship program for black teens in Brampton, the most demographically changing Canadian city. In doing so, McLean is forced to re-examine his own identity. The film deals with issues of racism, stereotyping, identity and what it really means to be “black” or “white”.
Following the screening of Colour Me, Sherien Barsoum, the film’s director, and McLean will lead the audience through a discussion, as well as answer questions about the film and its messages about diversity and identity.
International Day for the Elimination of Racism is observed annually on March 21, because it was on that date in South Africa in 1960 that police opened fire and killed 69 people as they were peacefully demonstrating against Apartheid.
For more information about the film, visit the Colour Me website. To learn more about how to fight racism, visit the United Nations’ Let’s Fight Racism website.