“The intersectionalities of misogyny and interracial marriage are also prevalent within her family. Kwok’s Grandma Pearl recounted the time she had dinner with a white man by using the excuse that she was going to be at her Black neighbor Jennie’s house. Kwok framed the situation as “[A] white boy entering Black space to date a Chinese girl,” making a really good point about the power imbalances involved in the situation. And when visiting her distant half Black, half Asian relatives, it was made clear that even familial relationships were soured by anti-Blackness.
As an Asian American, I recommend this doc because it brought up issues that our community might usually sweep under the rug, and it caused me to think about my own role in white supremacy. I thought the centering of women’s stories was also intriguing and opened up a whole avenue of intersectionality discussions.”
Read the full review here!
Audrey La Jeunesse, YR Media
“It just dawned on me that the transformation in her film can be summed up by the two titles. The Chinese title is "not black, not white." It is about boxes. It drives the initial questions of the film and the interviews on the bus - Where did the Chinese people sit? Where did they fit? But the English title is about the blurriness. Racialized discrimination does not fit into boxes. It is shifting and blurry. That is where the film ends up and that is what Crystal discussed so beautifully in the Q&A.”
Elizabeth LaCouture, HKU Gender Studies Assistant Professor
Crystal is a NATURAL. Combining BOMB "oral history," sweet storytelling narratives in her guileless interviewing style, and managing to throw in great radical analyses of structural racism, class analysis, feminist energy, and a submerged history lesson Augusta, GA race riots, Jim Crow disenfranchisement, AND those touching moments of empathy & solidarity between Southern-accented Chinese & their Black neighbors. Interviewees' delight when retelling moments of connection in those blurred lines was revealed in the smiles on their faces. Indelible images Girl!!”
Nancie Caraway, feminist political theorist
Your film is terrific--thoughtful and powerful in all the right ways!
You model how to have necessary but difficult conversations, and you do it with both kindness and curiosity. I love the unadorned quality of the animation and your soundtrack that sets the mood but never overwhelms the story.
Brava! It is an impressive piece of work that deserves all the kudos it is getting.
I add mine to it!
Marlene, retired instructor at the University of Hawai’i
(Academy of Creative Media Development)
Award-winning filmmaker
The documentary could not have been any better in telling your family's story, our community's story, and the relationships between the black and Chinese community. You opened conversations that had been unspoken in our own community but that we needed to recognize and discuss; and I personally have appreciated the dialogue and direction of the ensuing interactions. There are few of us descendants of those grocery families still here in Augusta; the majority of our association now are families who do not know the full history of the Chinese grocery stores and the relationship with the black community;. Thank you for bringing this story to us and to the Augusta community.
Corey had encouraged me to apply for a historical marker for our community and seeing your film and its story motivated me to move further along that path.
Gary Tom, past president of CCBA
“Crystal Kwok does not hold back!
I took my family to the screening of Blurring The Color Line: Chinese in the Segregated South when it came to DC. It was one of the most eye opening films and experiences we have had since moving to the area. Crystal Kwok’s film provokes the nation to ask hard questions about racial barriers. These conversations are important because as the film highlights, not every member of society fits into a Black and White narrative. The film highlights her Chinese families' experience as market owners during a time when segregation was implemented due to the Jim Crow era.
Although I’m not Chinese I found common ground with the film because as mentioned Crystal highlights an experience for those who don’t neatly fit either sides of racism. I lived all my life questioning where I belong. I am a first generation Mexican American by blood however my father is Afro-Latinx/o. Throughout my childhood I had to explain my relationship to my family because at surface I did not fit into a Black, like my father, or White Hispanic, like my mother box. Blurring the Color Line highlights the middle where many like myself have no choice but to reside. Fast forwarding to the present day, I married into a biracial family and noticed the same challenges that my children face, for they too do not fit into a Black and White narrative.
From a higher perspective the film forces us to address the performance behind racism and brings to the screen the myth about race by placing emphasis on her family's experience of not being Black or White but becoming part of a segregated community. The film addresses the privileges of passing along with the harsh truths behind miscegenation and Jim Crow. Crystal Kwok does not hold back addressing the intersectionality of race, class, and gender. I applaud her bravery and grit to tackle social issues that need to be addressed, and bring them to the big screen.”
Laura Abubekr REI/DEI Advocate, Storyteller
Blue Star Families
National Capital Region DEPLOY Fellow
My mind is still processing everything I saw! The film was enthralling to watch—you have shared your family’s story with such love and respect. I have a similar history. I grew up in Jacksonville, Florida in the 60’s. My grandfather came over from China in the 30’s along with many other families from the village. Over the years, my grandfather systematically purchased about 200 acres of land and ran a thriving farming business. Many of our family friends opened grocery stores and restaurants in predominantly Black neighborhoods. I remember many visits to see our friends at their stores and as you mentioned in the film, I never saw any real interaction with the community they served.
When I listened to the interviews with your Great Aunts, I heard all the familiar reasons for not having any true integration with the Black community. What is interesting to me is that the reason, as I understood it, was that Chinese families were adamant about preserving the culture, the language and perpetuating the homogeneous bloodline. Many of the kids of the Chinese families who were my age, grew up in such an insular environment that they didn’t really have good mastery of English which always astounded me. They were born in Florida!
You touched on so many aspects of the Chinese immigrant experience in the South—so many memories came to mind. I told my sister about the movie and we are recalling many of our childhood experiences and the “cast of characters”.
Vanessa Quan, Atlanta resident
I wanted to send a quick note and say how much Chris and I enjoyed this film. It's so well-done and truly accomplishes what a good documentary should do - help you learn something new and/or see things from a different perspective.
Many thanks for letting us know about this, and kudos to Crystal for making such an interesting film.
Elanna
Valerie and I watched it together Thursday night. I picked up on more of the input from Black neighbors you interviewed. I think the first time around, I honed in on the family.
Again, congratulations on this undertaking and continued success as you spread the word in opening more minds to this history. May it have influence on today’s thinkers!
REVIEW: ‘Blurring the Color Line’
“As a member of the Lum family, I really enjoyed these scenes because I got to know some of my aunts and uncles better. It was a heartfelt moment to see them on the big screen, especially since some of them passed away.”
