Black History Studies presents the London premiere of The Doll Test: The Birth Of Self Hate (2019), directed by Dorian A.W, written and narrated by Darrel Blake. The screening will feature a Q&A with the production team and surprise guest speakers.

The Doll Test: The Birth Of Self Hate is documentary that challenges Race, Youth and Identity in young children. Based on the 1940’s experiment by psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark who examined the psychological effects of segregation on African-American children, which resulted in the major case Brown v. Board of Education and the wave of activism, radical movements and political changes such as 1955 – Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat which sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott lead Martin Luther King Jr, 1964 – Civil Rights Act, 1965 – Voting Rights Act, 1968 – Fair Housing Act, the rise of Malcom X and the Black Panther Party.

Nearly 80 years on, Darrel Blake an Activist, Researcher and Public Speaker re-imagines the original experiment to explore the minds of young Black children to find out the consciousness of tomorrows leaders. This experiment looks into how today’s young society see race in relation to good and bad and also how they subliminally see themselves.

• Have we overlooked the minds of the youth?
• Have we unconsciously painted the image of beauty in the eyes of the young?
• Does colourism exist amongst Black children?

These are questions that are frequently unsung until the statement of “Representation Matters” comes into conversation. With the current climate of Black empowerment groups valuing cultural capital, this documentary highlights the major factor that plagued us since European colonisation…. Identity.

Watch the trailer below:

Doors open at 6.30 PM. Event will start at 7.00 PM.