American violet essay

American Violet tells Kelly’s story from the perspective of “Dee Roberts” (portrayed admirably by Nicole Beharie). The film does not shy away from portraying Dee as a flawed character, who is occasionally prone to bursts of outrage.

American Violet tells the story of legal injustice and systemic, institutionalized racism — and the struggle to overcome such prejudice. One big difference from these earlier films, however, is that the events which inspired American Violet happened in the year 2000.

The ACLU lawyer is portrayed as a white knight, helping the powerless; but even he shows doubts when Dee asks if any of this will actually do any good. The humanity of all the characters (including Xzibit, who appears in the film) is on display, for both the good guys and the bad guys.

Dee sues everyone involved — up to and including District Attorney “Calvin Beckett” (portrayed by Oscar-nominee Michael O’Keefe) — claiming racial discrimination led to the drug sweep and mass arrest in which she was caught up.