Society, as Trevor Noah mentioned and contemplated, is a contract. The purpose of this contract and the forming of society is that we can live among each other and share prosperity while condemning and sanctioning formal social deviances that the people of a contract also determine. Society allows us to progress and innovate, but most of all, it is meant to distribute happiness to as many people as possible and as evenly as possible through maintaining order. Trevor Noah went on to say that when contract is broken, the foundation for your citizenship is also broken. A full citizen to a community, more than just a legal term for belonging, is someone who abides by the social contract of their community and strives to maintain social order.

James Baldwin in the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” by Raoul Peck was an incredible writer and engaged in a variety of writing styles. He was a novelist, a poet, a playwright and much more. The focus of the film is Baldwin’s unfinished manuscript, “Remember This House,” which was full of memories of the greatest Civil Rights activists Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers. Baldwin wanted to record these icons and their actions furthering the Civil Rights movement in a book; however, he passed away before he could get far into the project, and left only a few pages of his work. He chose to discuss the lives of these men because their determination to stand up to unjust social norms inspired him personally. I feel that he wanted to bring the movement together and send a strong message by discussing Malcom X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Medgar Evers in the same work.

This was an incredible film with timeless inspiration and values. What I was most captivated by was Baldwin’s confidence when questioning society’s commitment to evolving Civil Rights. Baldwin wasn’t afraid to speak against white people and demand equal justice.