The Black List: Highlighting successful African-Americans
The Black List: Highlighting successful African-Americans

March 17, 2010

By Radka Slovackova

What do Whoopi Goldberg, Serena Williams and Chris Rock have in common?

They are all black, famous and enormously talented.

The rising racism in the US in the past decade led the photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders and journalist Elvis Mitchell to create a project elevating talented African-Americans. “The Black List” documentary is in an attempt to remind all of us that the colour of the skin is not indicative of success in life. On the stories of well known African-Americans Greenfield-Sanders and Mitchell magnificently documented the daily struggles in today’s society.

The series of documentaries has been so successful that just last month the third series of “The Black List” aired on HBO to celebrate Black History Month. Like its preceding volumes 1 and 2, the latest release features the distinctive African-Americans and their journeys to fame and success.

Whoopi Goldberg in “The Black List”

This topic is very popular looking at the main scene of America today. Last year for the first time a black president was voted into the office, Oprah Winfrey is a global star and Tiger Woods inspired as well as disappointed many golf enthusiasts.

The Black List book is the work of Greenfield-Sanders, about whose portraits a US poet-laureate Mark Strand once wrote: “The more one looks, the more complex the photos become.”

Greenfield-Sanders’ black and white portraits are currently exhibited in The Paley Center for Media in New York until May 2 and in The Paley Center for Media in Los Angeles until April 4. To both the entry is free although donations are welcome.

The book is accompanied by short essays from the talented writer Mitchell.

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