Why Is We Americans? – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

WHY IS WE AMERICANS? – Review by Diane Carson

February 1, 2022February 4, 2022 Diane Carson Amina Baraka, Amiri Baraka, Cory Booker, documentaries, LeRoi Jones, Mayor of Newark, Ras J. Baraka, udi aloni, Why Is We Americans?

The documentary Why Is We Americans? asks critical questions related to Black identity, specifically that of the socially activist and artistic Baraka family of Newark, New Jersey. Through a fast-paced, energetic delivery, director Udi Aloni interweaves archival footage and photographs from the 1960s with a diverse selection of contemporary interviews, headlined by poet Amiri Baraka and matriarch Amina Baraka,

Reviews

WHY IS WE AMERICANS? – Review by Valerie Kalfrin

January 4, 2022January 8, 2022 Valerie Kalfrin Amina Baraka, Amiri Baraka, Ayana Stafford-Morris, biodocs, documentary, Lauryn Hill, LeRoi Jones, newark, Ras J. Baraka, udi aloni, Why Is We Americans?

The documentary Why Is We Americans? bursts with ambition, much like the dynamic Newark, New Jersey family at its core. Taking its title from one of its patriarch’s poems, the film pays tribute to 1960s Black Arts poet, playwright, and civil rights activist Amiri Baraka. It also connects the influence of the late Baraka and his wife, poet and writer Amina Baraka, on their children, particularly son Ras J. Baraka, who has been Newark’s mayor since 2014.