Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Recommended Resources Movies that aren't about white people

DD6 is wrestling (with a sophistication that frightens me) with her feelings about darker skinned people. She nailed it when she said "Most of the people I know are white, so I have a picture in my head of what people should look like." She has decided that she is ugly because she herself is dark.

I would really love movie recommendations that portray people of color in fun engaging stories. Need not be "kids" movies, but nothing gritty or disturbing. So far all we've found is Totoro. I'm thinking of trying her on some Bollywood. Beyond that, I'm stuck.

Ideas?

I found this list online:

http://www.mommyish.com/2013/12/12/best-kids-movies-non-white-leads/

YMMV of course, but it might be a good place to start.

Does it have to be movies? I was thinking of The Cosby Show - which I still love.

We liked the classic "Jungle Book" movie from Disney. And the old "Saddle Club" series on PBS had a fairly diverse cast (it's a great show all around - too bad there were only 3 seasons ...)

Has she seen The Princess and the Frog? We loved that movie.

Movies -
- Akeelah and the Bee (2006),
- Gifted Hands (2009), with Cuba Gooding Jr portraying the story of world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon, Dr. Ben Carson,
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2007), with Will Smith and his son portraying the story of Chris Gardner raising his son while overcoming many obstacles,
- The Blind Side (2009), inspired by the story of Michael Oher, is a story of struggle and success... and the interplay between talent and opportunity.
- 42 (2013), the story of baseball legend Jackie Robinson.

Books -
- Amazing Grace by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Caroline Binch
- There are many lists and books featuring Black and African American founders, heroes, inventors, and role models, easily found online with a web search.
- Also possibly of interest: a post to a similar question can be found here.

Just found "Polly" (made in 1989 and starring Keshia Knight Pulliam and Phylicia Rashad who were both great in the Cosby show). Looks like a fun family movie.

Here are some ideas:

-Bend it Like Beckham
-Akeelah and the Bee
-West Side Story
-Remember the Titans (not sure if it's age appropriate?)
-Princess and the Frog
-Home (coming out soon - )
-Annie (coming out soon)
-Earth to Echo (out now)
-Color of Friendship
-The Cheetah Girls movies
-Jump In! (Disney original)
-Dora movies/TV shows
-Mindy Kaling Project is likely too adult, but she's a good role model. Writer, comedian, has her own show...hilarious

Movies that highlight different countries/cultures:
-Aladdin
-Around the World in 80 Days
-The Kite Runner (may not be age appropriate)

We don't watch TV or movies. So, hard for me to recommend anything regarding movies. But, why does she have to watch movies to get a positive image about colored skin? She can read books about people who are non-white (my son discovered Dr Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks etc on BrainPop), watch TV shows about them etc. Has she watched Dora and Diego when she was younger? Then, there is the Cosby show which I remember from long ago.
My suggestion is to make her peer group wider to include kids who are non-white so that she will get to know others who are of other skin color and understand that all colors are OK and beautiful. I would suggest that you enroll her in enrichment activities like the local chess clubs, math enrichment schools, lego leagues, science camps, martial arts school, swim team etc where there are more Asians and Indians participating than any other race in my neck of the woods.

You people are awesome! Great suggestions!

(Ashley: I'm asking this group for movie suggestions because that's what I would like help with right now, not because I think that's the only avenue. Thanks for your input.)