In Barry Jenkins’s 2018 film adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk, “the first words we see are by Baldwin, as are the first words we hear. Tish (KiKi Layne, making a stunning feature debut) utters a sentence you can find on page four of the book: ‘I hope that nobody has ever had to look at anybody they love through glass.’ The beloved person under glass is Fonny (Stephan James), her boyfriend and the father of her unborn child” (Henderson).  In early 1970s Harlem, Tish Rivers vividly recalls the passion, respect, and trust that connects her and her Alonzo “Fonny” Hunt. The couple dream of a future together, but their plans are derailed when Fonny is arrested for a crime he did not commit.  How do the attitudes of Fonny, Tish, and her family toward what seems to be insurmountable obstacles reflect the problems facing African-Americans in the era in which Beale Street is set?  Have circumstances in the United States changed enough to warrant a different perspective in current times?

1500 Words minimum ( not including the Works Cited).   Remember to follow MLA format. Use Times New Roman font, double-space, number your pages, and provide a Works Cited page. Listed in the Works Cited should be the primary source(s) and a minimum of four secondary sources (an article, book, or other materials that you have found in your research; at least two must be peer-reviewed).  Whatever is listed in the Works Cited should also be cited parenthetically in the body of your essay.