University of Illinois professor and head of the Department of African-American Studies Ronald L. Jackson II was Monday’s guest speaker at the Writing Center Reading Series.
Carrying the theme “Inscribing Black Male Bodies, Pathologizing Blackness: How Tyler Perry Imagines Black Cultural Authenticity,” Jackson explained Tyler Perry’s formula for success, referring to it as the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” or the southern African American female. He also noted how Perry typically portrays the males in his films to be uneducated, criminal-minded, and abusive.
Senior communications major Jonathon Gholston said, “The forum had great information, great content. He researched his topic a lot. He said a lot about Tyler Perry that I have been saying to people all along.”
Conversely, there were audience members who misinterpreted the message and responded in Perry’s defense during the question and answer portion of the series.
Junior communications major Andia Richardson said, “There was a lot of tension because there were a lot of Tyler Perry fans that really did not understand what he was trying to say with his presentation. It’s about opening your mind and thinking outside of the box.”
Professor and Interim Department Head for the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology Derek Wilson said, “The problem with the audience is that we do not recognize the contradictions that are inherent with what we think we should value. My critical thinking comes from two questions: Does it enhance the image of black people, and does it enhance the interest of black people? If the answer to these questions is not yes, then we can portray the one typecast male character in the Tyler Perry films all day, and a disservice is done to black people.”