While writing a movie review about Brooklyn’s Finest with Charles, I really paused a few times to think about Wesley Snipes and his Hollywood tenure. Despite all of the uproar about his alleged lack of love for all black women, I still enjoy him as an actor.

Before I get skewered by the legions of black women who hate his guts, let me just say that I can separate the actor from the man. I don’t know him personally and I can only speculate on where his preferences originated. Never, ever, was there a chance that I would have ever become romantically linked to this cat, which he so affectionately refers to himself as, and whatever bitterness he feels toward black women is clearly a reflection of how he feels about himself. No reason for me to take his words personally.

How can I say that? I re-read an interview he gave to Ebony in 1997 and I took away a couple of things. One, he mentioned having a Napoleon complex - code word for trouble. He has always had lots to prove, and any challenge to his ego would not have been quickly forgotten. Secondly, who really gives a rat’s derriere? So he hooked up with a few black women that had as many issues as he appears to have. Most of us in our dating lives have encountered a few troubles, but anyone with any common sense would not draw the conclusion that all people of a certain shade or background are out to get them and should therefore be avoided.

Now this is where it gets confusing if you care about his personal preferences in women. Snipes has been associated with several movies and projects, including Down In The Delta and Disappearing Acts. These are two movies that I believe are excellent and he actually acted in and produced both. The former is a great family movie, showing the strength of a black family, and the latter, adapted from the novel by Terry McMillan doesn’t necessarily show black men in the most positive light. I doubt that someone who truly despises black women would be associated with either project. In addition to these two projects he has demonstrated impressive range in moving from romantic drama to action hero and all points in between.

His off-screen persona versus on-screen ability highlights the complexity of people and relationships. There’s absolutely no denying that race as an issue is a factor in daily life, and if you don’t believe that it’s probably because you don’t have to deal with anyone outside of your own race. Stereotyping and running to another opposite of the one who broke your heart makes sense on one level but that person will eventually find that heartbreak, just like love knows no color.

I absolutely am a fan of Wesley Snipes the actor. His life experiences have contributed to his on screen charisma. I hope he can evolve from his race-based characterizations of women and all the other nonsensical chatter and focus on what he does best, which is act.

Chandra Adams

Shades of Retribution