If you are a fan of the intricate, captivating world of HBO’s cult obsession The Wire then Melvin Jackson Jr. will look very familiar to you. He is an accomplished actor but in the documentary Vanishing Black Male he takes on serious issues of race and a population under duress. It is an interesting subject with a lot of ins and outs and this striking film which presents this information in a diversity of ways is exciting throughout.
Melvin Jackson Jr. interviews doctors, politicians, law enforcement personnel and so many more people to get an understanding of where the population of African American males are and where they are going. Many signs point to a decline which one can argue has been completely ignored by mainstream media. In this, on of many free documentaries online, you begin to see interesting patterns that you likely have never considered and it will definitely open your eyes up about some of these issues.
The whole piece is artfully presented by writer-director Hisani DuBose. In between the more informative sections are music, art and a series of dramatic monologues that will help you to see the issues in a much more emotionally connective way. When you watch documentaries online you want to know more and this one will definitely teach you a thing or two.
