What Color Is Your Milk?

Elementary school was playfully brutal in Charleston, South Carolina. I can still remember being teased for drinking the wrong color milk in first grade. The established rule was that white kids drank “white” milk and the black kids drank “chocolate” milk. The kids would tease you and say that you would literally change color (…meaning race) if you drank the wrong milk. Of course this was a game, but many kids bought into this reasoning. Most children either dealt with the teasing or just drank milk that they didn’t like. I dealt with the teasing.

Anyone who hears this story usually reacts with shock, laughter, and then disappointment (always in that exact order). They blame such foolishness on being silly kids raised in the South. I agreed with this assumption until I moved to New York to pursue a career in film. I would meet people at film networking events to discuss projects. Investors and film producers told me to make “urban” or “African American” films. They told me that the Hip Hop audience was very marketable and that I should take advantage of their buying power. I was even dubbed the next Spike Lee.

Everyone (…as in people of all races) was unfairly defining my artistic vision. They teased me for creating plots that were “unmarketable” or “unrealistic.” I was literally in elementary school all over again. They wanted me to make the type of movies – or drink the color milk – that they were more comfortable with. Most directors either deal with the teasing or just make movies that they don’t like. I dealt with the teasing…again.

It was sickening to think that grown and well respected adults could have the same mentality as little children. Maybe people just get older instead of maturing? Did I miss something?

Most people know that Spike Lee is one of my all-time favorite directors, but I don’t look at film as being “black” or “white.” Do the Right Thing is about black characters, but it is not a black movie. Schindler’s List is about Jewish characters, but it is not a Jewish movie. The Godfather is about Italian characters, but it is not an Italian movie. All three of these movies share a universal theme of characters overcoming racial, economic, or cultural barriers in order to better themselves, their families, and communities. I’m in no way comparing the struggles of racial and economic inequality to murder and mass genocide. However, the underlying themes of sacrifice, perseverance, and even family are present in all three films. The color of the movie shouldn’t matter.

Time taught me that movie producers and investors fear losing their money, so they stick with proven formulas. I found peace and solace when many of those film producers contacted me later to say, “We can’t fund your project, but we thought your ideas were actually brilliant.” It also made me feel better when I learned that many of my white friends love chocolate milk.

I began to see that people aren’t necessarily scared of change or being different. They are scared of being ridiculed for changing or becoming different. The movie producers wanted to work with me, but they feared what their colleagues would think. Both white and black kids wanted to drink different varieties of milk, but they feared what their friends would say. I realized that people are actually open to exploring other races, ideas, or groups of people. It’s the thought of being ridiculed by their own race or group that holds people back.

Society needs to see that our world has the ability to change and make progress by accepting new experiences. True growth comes from knowing how to categorize without judging. We just can’t scold and outcast people for wanting something different. Childish games that encourage labeling and judging often grow into adult politics that support prejudices and assumptions. Society didn’t learn everything it needed to know about the world in Kindergarten. Fortunately, I was able to learn everything that I needed to know in first grade.