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Little White Lie: Analysis of the Closing Scene

In the documentary Little White Lie, main character Lacey candidly portrays her struggles with her identity. Her feelings of being different when surrounded by her white peers in school as opposed to feeling a sense of belonging in college caused her to take control of her own identity and begin to live as she believes is her true self. Although there are several comments from family members addressed throughout the film that undermine Lacey’s identity as a Black woman, she was able to navigate this confusing and appalling journey. In the final scene, images and clips from she and her husband’s wedding reception showed an interesting coexistence of Lacey’s identity as a Black woman and her identity as a Jewish woman. There are ceremonial aspects that are distinctly associated with her Jewish identity, however there was also the involvement of things mostly associated with Black culture. For example, the Soul Train dance line ignites joy and fun within the reception room. This comes from the television program Soul Train, created in the late twentieth century as a pioneer in Black-owned television and a place for Afrocentricity to be showed off in a lighthearted way that was widely accepted. These aspects portrayed how Lacey took control of her identity and made it possible for them to beautifully coexist by her own standards.