Selah and the spades
It’s strange, due to it rarely being seen, yet strangely empowering (even as a Black dude nowhere near this child’s age). For rather than present Blackness outright through the usual means, be it hip-hop music, or posters of Black figures, it is done through hair, solidarity, a recognition of what they might be seen or called, and a bit of distrust when it comes to the white majority groups.Īnd then when you move beyond the names, it is the “Queen Bee” being this Black girl, who doesn’t look racially ambiguous, being the head honcho with the kind of braids Black girls are known for. Which considering all of Selah’s group is Black, or at the very least Black and Brown, it adds a layer to how the film wants to speak on identity.
Which is Selah’s problem since she wants to maintain this sense of adulation from her peers, since her group gets the drugs, and wants exemption from what would have easily taken other groups or leaders down.įollowing that, you have the fact “Spade,” while referenced as part of the playing card suit, is also a racial term for Black people. Selah’s name, in itself, means either to praise or forever. With that, you can delve deeper into the complications the kids deal with, which begins with the names. The main thing which makes “Selah and The Spades” worth checking out is that it brings a Black perspective to the “Queen Bee” narrative but within a PWI.
But, with graduation still quite some ways off, can Selah deal with someone who takes to the work quickly, gains admiration from others, and has the ability to usurp her? Highlights What Having A Black Focus Does For A Familiar Story Selah (Lovie Simone) Leading to the introduction of Paloma, a new kid who Selah takes to and decides to mold. Making it so some, like Roberta, head of the Bobbies, question not just Selah’s leadership, but the need of her faction. However, under Selah’s reign over the Spades, there have been moments when her leadership has rubbed the other groups the wrong way. All of which have unique alliances, and means of keeping the other in check. With that in mind, there is the worry about not just college, but who to pass the spades off to? Much less, who can maintain the power dynamic? For amongst Haldwell, there are multiple groups who maintain a balance between the theater kids, the suck-ups, and the various other groups. It’s senior year for Selah, the head of the Spades, who issue drugs for the private Haldwell high school.