ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
Racism comes in many forms. CLARITY follows the story of Clarity, a single mother who exposes the dangers of quiet racism for both black and white residents of a homogenous and proudly liberal county while fighting to liberate herself, her family, and her community.
SYNOPSIS
Marin county is a bastion of progressive politics and social justice activism. After the killing of George Floyd, Black Lives Matter signs appeared in countless windows, in solidarity with the national movement. And when Mill Valley’s mayor said that Black Lives Matter was not an issue of local importance, we marched down Miller Avenue carrying our children on our shoulders. We rallied—just as we did in the wake of Dr. King’s murder in 1968 and so many times before—because fairness, equity, and inclusivity are the most prized values for so many in this community.
And yet, Marin is the most racially inequitable county in California, according to the Advancement Project. Although Black people make up less than 3% of Marin’s population, they suffer the lowest education, life-expectancy, home ownership, affordable housing, and income compared to white people of any county in the Golden State. Our racism here is quiet racism—nuanced and covert but it is very real. Were 2020 not a year of such great reckoning, it’s unlikely the White community would have begun listening to Clarity, whose family has been harmed for generations.
Amber “Clarity” Allen-Peirson, a biracial second generation Marinite, tells us that racism is a disease and we are all infected. While quiet racism most visibly impacts Marin’s Black residents, it privately preys on White people too. Our belief that we are superior keeps us from exploring and treating the illness that pervades White culture, including an alarming relationship with painkillers, sedatives and stimulants. Marin has the highest rate of drug and alcohol abuse by teens in California along with a devastatingly high rate of drug-related deaths and overdoses. But nobody talks about it.
In this homogeneous community, with lives filled with comfort, we often only have each other to hold up a mirror that usually reflects back what we want to see. That has blinded us from the harm we inadvertently cause ourselves and others. Our denial is the cause of the infection.
No other observational documentary has attempted to capture this unique but widespread phenomenon through the lens of a Black biracial woman. Amber offers us the gift of clarity by sharing her story and voice, giving us a glimpse into a reality that is often hidden from us and at the same time, helping us to understand ourselves.
This film is a wake up call to racism in our sleepy little town and a call to action for Marin, California, the Nation, and the World.
PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature
DIRECTOR Cassidy Friedman, Amber Allen-Peirson
PRODUCER Cassidy Friedman
Producer Apo Bazidi
WEBSITE storiesmattermedia.com
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