In this deeply personal and emotional exploration of racial identity, director Joel Katz shares his family’s journey of immigration, assimilation, liberal idealism, bitter disillusionment, and ultimately, reconciliation.

The son of Jewish parents, Katz’s father became a professor at Howard University. As a white educator working at the nation’s preeminent African American college during the turbulent Civil Rights Era, he was subjected to a range of difficult experiences and emotions, including an attack by a student.

When Joel Katz also becomes a professor at a predominately non-white university, he must confront his own racial attitudes—but this reflection on race is made all the more important as Joel and his wife enter the adoption process and are faced with the prospect of adopting a non-white child. White: A Memoir in Color chronicles Katz's quest to understand the difficult notion of identity as they select their preferred race for their adoptive baby, and become the parents of a mixed-race child. This film brilliantly exposes the dimensions of race and prejudice in America’s multicultural society.

“…it also has an honesty, and presents a rigorous examination of family, self and the often-disparate experiences of life, that add emotional resonance to what is also a damn good story….We get uncomfortably close to the sorts of self-examination that all whites, no matter their shades or background, should try to face at some point in their lives.”
‒Paul Smart, Hudson Valley Almanac

“Watching their willingness to approach the issues without looking for the answer is a breath of fresh air."
‒Frances E. Kendall, PhD, author of Understanding White Privilege

"This film challenges the notion of a 'post-racial' world with personal honesty about filmmaker Joel Katz's own complex family history and the racial dynamics of his recently formed transracial adoption family."
‒Beth Hall, Director, Pact, An Adoption Alliance

New York Jewish Film Festival, 2011
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2011