How Jack Became Black

Released: 2018

Genre: Documentary

Duration: 84 min

Cast: Justin Gordon, Eli Steele, Louis Armstrong, Jesse Jackson, Rachel Dolezal

The births of Jack and June, the third multiracial generation in filmmaker Eli Steele's family, coincided with a startling projection: by 2050, at least 20% of all Americans will self-identify as two or more races. What will this mean in a nation tormented by race? Born black, Jewish and deaf, Steele battled childhood bullying. Then, as an adult, he battled identity politics in both education and employment. He believed that holding onto his individuality, rather than his skin color, was part of America's promise to him. However, Steele's belief in this promise was shaken when his son was denied entrance to a public school for refusing to name his "primary race." Why does race still matter so much? To find out, Steele journeys into uncharted territory where he takes on identity politics through interviews with multiracial individuals and through thoughtful re-examinations of headline controversies -- the George Zimmerman trial, a conference on white privilege, and the DeBlasio campaign. The result is an emotional, yet unbiased look at race that Adam Carolla called "eye-opening," that National Review declared "fascinating," and that Hollywood In Toto said "demolished Identity Politics."