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

"my daughter was adopted transracially and there is a lot of discussion on this topic in some groups I am a part of. Of course diverse characters in the movies and books she sees are important, but even more important is to see herself reflected in the community. We purposefully sought out a pediatrician of color, for example, and work to cultivate friendships with families and children of color. It may be more difficult if the child is one of very few kids at school with brown skin, based on what I have observed."

Just wanted to say "hi" to another transracially adoptive family. We also have done what you mention above. We are lucky that our school is a diverse one, but now we are finding that because of the gifted issue, the school doesn't seem to be the right fit. Have you found that being a transracial family - which means that you are already outside the norm plus, the giftedness, outside the norm, has brought more work to the family? Sometimes it feels exhausting.
BTW - next time I watch the Bend It movie I am watching for the mango scene!!

Deacon girl - just pm'd you.

We're lucky that we live in a racially diverse faculty housing neighborhood, including several families of DD's racial group. In fact, the kid next door is the exact same mix as her, and the two of them look like twins.

Unfortunately, though, the largest ethnic minority in our region is hardly present at all in our neighborhood, and her school has almost no racial diversity.

In our case, though, I really think it's the media representation that is warping her sense of what's "normal." She had a breakthrough moment watching the Brandy version of Cinderella (thanks to whoever recommended that!) where she said, why aren't the actors white? And I said, why should they be white? Why do they always make movies with white people? Do we really need more white people in movies? White people! White people! And she laughed and got it, and it's been a non-issue since.

(We are not an adoptive family, BTW. DD is homemade, but with a donor from a different racial group than me. I don't know how/whether the adoption issue interfaces with these other issues of belonging.)

Avatar: The Last Airbender is a fantastic animated series for anyone of almost any age. There are some animated fights that make it inappropriate for very young children, though. It takes place in a fantasy world heavily inspired by Asian cultures, and incorporates distinct cultural differences between the groups of people depicted.

Why do they almost always make movies with young, slim people? The honest answer is that moviemakers will cast whoever they think will draw the largest audience. It's not a moral question.

That's right. Most martial arts based cartoons have non-white cultures depicted in them - I love the Avatar series. I would like to mention the Kung Fu Panda series too because it depicts a different culture (though with animals as main characters).

Ok - so bumping this as I have come across a couple of new ones.

"Blaze and the Monster Machines" - a little boy (A.J.) drives around having crazy STEM inspired adventures with an anthropomorphic monster truck. (There are a lot of STEM errors in the episodes I have seen - hydrofoils rise up out of the water only when moving, and they had the hull exposed all the time). But my kid likes it. Mostly because there is a little boy driving around in a talking monster truck.

"Sarah Solves It" - (new pilot show from amazon - seems a little like Peg+Cat).

I will add one! Big Hero 6. Not only is the main character Asian, but his friends are a mix of colors. PLUS, they are all "heroes" because of their high intelligence. The main character is only 14 and already a high school graduate. I thought it was going to be the usual snarky cartoon, and instead I found a very sweet, moving film. My girls (9 and 10) were amused when I boo hooed after a character died. They loved the film!

I haven't seen it in a way long time - but I recall Stand and Deliver (based on a true story) as being a powerful movie showing the insidious power of discrimination and the even greater power of a teacher whose students learn to reject limitations others try to impose. It is not a fun kid movie - but I recall it as uplifting.

Not sure about age range - but I tend to stretch a bit when a movie is based on fact and depicts things my kid is asking about.

[ETA - I wonder what Jaime Escalante would have thought about common core math .....]

Big Hero 6 - yay! "Brandy version" Cinderella -- also yay!

If you can find a video copy, I highly recommend the movie "Wadjda".

"The Painting" ("Le Tableau") on DVD: French animated film (dubbed or subbed in English) with three classes or races: the fully painted "Allduns", the "Halfies", and the untouchable "Sketchies". (Though the characters are mostly white-ish looking paintings, one fun major character, Lola, is non-white.)

I'll also mention a couple of books that might fly under the radar:

Books by Maiya Williams (first African-American officer of The Harvard Lampoon), including her time-travel series that starts with "The Golden Hour": protagonists are two sets of siblings, one set African American. First book they travel to the French Revolution, second to Cleopatra, third is Wild West. These are the sort of interesting books that tend to appeal to bright kids, but break the stereotype that non-white protagonists only "belong" in books focusing on racial issues. Suitable for middle-grader readers -- the violence (French Revolution, after all!) is pretty restrained/tastefully handled.

"Gregor the Overlander" series, Suzanne Collins. Before she wrote "The Hunger Games", this is a series for younger (that is, middle-grade) readers. One gets the impression that the protagonist and his family are not necessarily white. Strong anti-racism metaphor/anti-war message.

The "Princeless" comic books, Jeremy Whitley -- author inspired by wanting something for his own mixed-race daughter. Directly takes on stereotypical representations of girls, and race, in fairy tale type stories.

The Courageous Princess, Rod Espinosa -- graphic novel; main character Rose has rosy-brown skin, a white mother, Middle Eastern father. Author attempts to mix Christian/Islamic religious elements too.

A Posse of Princesses, Sherwood Smith -- don't be put off by the cover art which shows the princesses as pretty much "white"; in the text, the princesses are distinctly of different races and colors and cultures. When one princess gets kidnapped, the other princesses set out to rescue her. Really fun.

The City trilogy, starting with "City of Fire", by Laurence Yep -- mixes many races and cultures and mythologies.

Into the Volcano, Don Wood -- graphic novel, visually stunning, the protagonist boys have mixed Hawaiian and white ancestry. Middle-grade; note some kids-in-peril scenes and death imagery.

Cleopatra's Moon, Vicky Alvear Shecter -- historical fiction about Cleopatra's daughter by an author who really knows the era (she's also written non-fiction about Cleopatra & Egyptian mythology). Features important biracial romances. Middle-school age on up, as it does have some violent and sexual content, though quite tastefully handled.

The Extra, Kathryn Lasky -- historical fiction with a Gypsy girl protagonist who is in one of Nazi filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl's films during World War 2; middle school age.