Tariq Nasheed, also known as "Tariq Elite," is a celebrated author, motivational speaker, radio personality and now filmmaker. Nasheed's latest project, "Hidden Colors," is a series of documentary films that detail the history of racism. The films include professors, rappers and comedians offering their thoughts on race. They also provide historical context to illustrate the systemic cultural and political oppression of black people around the world.
The first film in the "Hidden Colors" series came out in 2011, with the second following in 2012. The most recent installment, "Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism," was released in June. Inspired by Nasheed's disappointment with the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin case, as well as what he described to The Huffington Post as "Jim Crow 2.0," the movie features the likes of Nas, Dick Gregory, Paul Mooney, Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, David Banner and Sharazad Ali. It focuses on American racism -- in particular, the way it has endured from before slavery to the present day.
Tariq Nasheed sat down with The Huffington Post to discuss his new film and how it relates to recent events.
What inspired you to make "Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism"?
The Trayvon Martin situation. When that verdict came through, I saw the way black people reacted to it, and I don't think people were serious enough about the outcome and the ramifications of that. When the Trayvon Martin decision happened and black people didn't act accordingly, that should have snapped everybody to attention. We kind of let that slide. That gave white supremacists a green light to go further, so now there are cops beating up black women, beating up more children, shooting more black people ... We've seen Jim Crow racism come back. It's Jim Crow 2.0, looped back around.
You can't play games with systematic white supremacy. We have to be cognizant of the rules of racism.
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