The Sleeping Negro

The young black man, simply identified as “Man,” must resolve the personal meaning of his blackness when his white boss orders him to commit fraud to benefit the corporation. Struggling with an overwhelming sense of shame for going through with the illegal demand, Man seeks consolation by discussing his unease with a black former friend and his white fiancé. Unfortunately, his black friend brings his own toxic baggage to the table, which makes Man push him away to preserve his own psychological health. When Man’s white fiancé comes over, he confesses his conflicting emotions about their relationship, yet she struggles to hear what he’s saying because she’s stressed about her white liberal parents’ anxiety over meeting him that night. After their conversation erupts into a fight, Man realizes he’s been looking at his life through the wrong lens. Later that night, a horrifying dream further cements the fact he needs to make some tough, fundamental changes. When Man is required to evict an older black woman from her home on behalf of the corporation, he must choose between continuing to complicity uphold the oppressive system or rebelling against it.