We Need A New Movement, Not A New Movie...

In a blog post I completed a few months ago, I started off by saying, "I was raised black...".  By saying that, I was pointing out the stark differences in households of color across America versus that of any other American culture.  As a child, I was told about neighborhoods that I couldn't venture into after dark, how I should behave publically, and how to remain completely submissive whenever dealing with the police because my being assertive would only end in conflict rather than in an amiable resolution.  In many cases, my voicing my own opinion could easily lead to my own demise.

 

Although we poke fun at the public perceptions black America through comedy, film, and music, we continue to suffer the systematic issues as a culture.  This is fueled by the fact that race issues are rarely, if ever, dealt with in an open, public forum.  Instead, we huddle together privately and discuss our struggles, air our grievances, and silently lick our wounds.  In the centuries that have passed since we were brought here in chains, my parents, their parents, and even their parents-before-them all hoped for a better day.  

Today, our history is repeat with lynchings, shootings, high incarceration rates, and civil unrest.  It seems as if we, as a people, have been fighting the same battles since the 1800's.  Yet, no real strides toward equality are visible. 

 

Nationwide, academic history books have omitted our existence from its pages and our contributions to this "melting pot" society have been marginalized.  In order to remember our past, we, as African Americans, have had to rely on our forefathers to verbally repeat the stories of degradation and triumph to the next generation.  As we gained access to greater forms of technology, we have learned to chronicle our struggles through the use of cinema. 

Since gaining access to Hollywood, African American actors have served as teachers of America's true history. Gaining access to the internet has successfully unshackled the minds of all Americans as we are now allowed to invite a cross section of cultures into our living rooms without anyone else in the neighborhood knowing. Now, these filmed depictions of real life can begin to tell our story to a crowd of onlookers who previously refused to make eye contact with these same, historic African Americans on the street. 

 

Roots was the first in a series of ground-breaking movies that brought attention to a history repeat with injustices.  Amistad further detailed the horrors of the slave trade.  Somehow, history has seemingly glazed over the fact that this country has a dark history of slavery.  Thousands of lives were lost and countless more were sold as trade items to the Americanas and Caribbean continents.  During the 400 years of slave trade, even freed black men were subject to capture and ridicule as it is depicted in 12 Years A Slave. 

After the Emancipation Proclamation was begrudgingly signed into the law of the land, the physical  chains of slavery were removed only to be replaced with laws that seemed hinged upon mental enslavement.  Although we proved ourselves to be men deserving of equal opportunities as we established a place in American history, our civil rights continued to be challenged in movies like Buffalo Soldiers, Glory, 42, Something The Lord Made and Tuskegee Airmen.  Our forefathers were used as guinea pigs for medical research in Miss Evers' Boys and hunted like animals in Mississippi Burning.  As depressing as they may seem, these films prove that, in spite of economic and civil injustices, African Americans have continually made themselves relevant to American progression in all fields; be it military might, medicine, sports or entertainment.

Even after making notable contributions to the advancement of the American cause, societal rules in America continued to support segregation long after the end of slavery.  Along with this inequality, there also came poverty, joblessness, poor education, and sub-standard living.  Rather than allow equal access to all the privileges of being born in America, society created a sub-standard for living and denied African Americans their fair share of the American dream.   

Movies like The Help and The Butler embrace the silent strength and duality in nature that we, as a race, have been forced to live with.  We've had to be submissive to all non-blacks; cooking, cleaning and still acting as servants.   The only difference between the 1860s and the  1960s was the ability to clock out after work and go home to separate - but unequal - homes of our own.

 

As time marched on, so did we...

Realizing that justice really meant "just us," visible leaders began to emerge from civil unrest.   Boycott, a movie about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X tell two very different approaches that were taken in order for the struggle for civil rights to be acknowledged on a national scale.  This is a history that America would rather not discuss in social settings; however, this same refusal to acknowledge the past has set the stage for failure in the future. 

As a child, I was told that "a man who forgets his past is doomed to repeat it".  Keeping this in mind, I still find myself reading everything I can find about my cultural past; warehousing black films, and reveling in the diverse beauty of my own heritage. 

Over the years, more and more movies have taken on the responsibility of educating the masses.  Black cinema; however, is limited in its reach and fails to penetrate mainstream markets.  In order to "pull in" white viewers, many directors soften the injustices of the past by cleverly disguising movies about black oppression by focusing on the kind-hearted nature of a sole white savior amongst a field of secondary, yet historical, black roles.  Examples of this are seen in films like Men of Honor, Invictus and The Blind Side. 

Although each of these films further detail the ongoing oppression of civil freedoms, the social injustices inflicted on black America only serve as a backdrop for highlighting the humanity of non-black individuals.  These same individuals were hailed as heroes although they did not have to deal with any of the repercussions of poverty, poor education, joblessness, or civil rights violations.  For her role as the savior in The Blind Side, Sandra Bullock won an award although the movie was centered around the life of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick. 

Hollywood has made no acknowledgement of Oher's real-life successes nor did it offer Quinton Aaron, the actor who portayed him, any newcomer accolades.  Instead, they applauded the woman who shouldered support and went against the oppressive rules of society.  To me, that is as absurd as thanking the person who placed AstroTurf on the football field instead of praising the player that made the winning touchdown.  However; this is the way America appeases itself and silently acknowledges its ongoing struggle with racism.

Sadly, the underlying theme of each of these historical films is the same: oppression based solely on race.  Repeatedly, African Americans have fought for their equal share of the American dream, but the invisible hand of oppression has denied job opportunities, inflicted miscarriages of justice, and enabled feelings of hopelessness and despair.  But, paraphrasing the great laureate Maya Angelo, "still, we rise...".

As you take it upon yourself to review these movies, you will see that the laws that are in place - even today - seem to be at odds with the constitutional creed that "all men are created equal".  Instead, African Americans have a very different relationship with authority in America.  Rather than rely on laws to protect them, we see a large disparity in the way laws are interpreted and the "protection" only seems to be in favor of those who have access to the greater American dream.  Police brutality goes unmonitored and an increasingly unfair justice system seems to feed on its dependency on the incarceration of black and brown people across the country.

In recent years, we even see Hollywood acknowledging the failures of our legal system on a large scale.  As an example, we see a stark miscarriage of justice in films like The Lena Baker Story.  Further acknowledging the hand of oppression, some  of the top nominated movies of the year were Mandela, The Butler, 12 Years A Slave, and Fruitvale Station.  Oddly enough, each of these movies dealt with servitude, civil oppression, false imprisonment, and the senseless killing of black men and women.  If this is a silent nod from Hollywood that tells us that "a change is going to come,' then I applaud their efforts as they begin to chip away at the invisible hand of inequality that has guided America throughout its history.

The truth is this: Man's greatest fear is to find a flaw when he looks upon himself in the mirror.  Ty Pruitt, the cousin of slain Missouri teen Michael Ferguson, said it best in an interview that aired on the Dr. Drew Show, "White people are too afraid and black people are too angry to talk about racism" in an open forum. Both, anger and fear are birthed from a man's own pride.  In short, we must all become willing to swallow our pride and engage in a more productive dialogue if we are to ever consider making race relations improve all across America.

With that being said, I believe it is time for us to revisit the civil right movements of the past.  What worked for Martin and Malcolm can still work for all Americans as we sit and create dialogue that will prove fruitful to the soul of America.  Protests and civil unrest is one thing, but only dialogue, new laws and a true bridge of communication will allow us to heal the wounds of our past and move toward a brighter future.  If you are not a part of an organization that is working toward change, then you are either stagnant or a part of the problem. 

Instead of challenging you to stand under the chill of a bucket of ice for charity, I invite you to stand in the heat of debates for clarity.  Join your local PTA and demand that the curriculums include all history all year.  Join a civic organization and begin working in conjunction with local authorities to make your neighborhoods better.  Pool your resources to create the needed daycare centers, after-school programs, and recreational outlets that children  need instead of complaining that there is nothing to do.  Or - at the very least - begin to share these historical movies with those who refuse to see the reason for black America's angst with our justice system.

Take a lesson from the pages of history and implement the changes you want to see in your neighborhood yourselves.  Be ever-present at city council meetings and learn how to make laws work on your behalf.  Govern yourselves accordingly instead of doing things solely according to the government.  Eventually, problems will be eradicated and systems will be forced to change. 

Let's all put our differences aside and figure out how to balance the scales of justice in America and afford everyone the same unalienable rights.  Instead of a movie that commemorates the lives of victims like Oscar Grant,  Trayvon Martin, Ranisha McBride, and Michael Brown, maybe a few new laws will make the Missouri riots unlike any other civil protest before it.... And, with a little luck, Mike Brown just might change this town...    ONE glorious town after another...

Alas, this is just ONE Man's Opinion.... What is yours?