I'm probably one of the few black people on earth that hasn't seen most of the original Roots. And I either skipped over most of the other white washed slave movies or I erased them from my mind. So that makes me one of those black folks that hasn't seen "too many slave movies" because...
I've been waiting for the ones that are now being made and influenced by black people. So, I was waiting for "12 YEARS A SLAVE."
And, I'm loving John Legend for bringing "UNDERGROUND" to television. If they reduce the white couple's role in the show and I also get to see Harriet Tubman in action next season, I might send him a bouquet of flowers.
And I'm dying to see Octavia Butler's "Kindred" made into a movie too.
HOWEVER, I do get that people are tired of the same time period being hit again and again and again in the movies. It is amazing to me how stories of the time right after reconstruction get passed over, as far as historical movie making goes.
There was a time right after the Civil War when black folks were elected to Congress, were so hopeful of an easy transition to equality (They never would have guessed it would take 100 years to...) The time before the Southern Whites got their feet back under themselves after the Civil War, that window before the full court press of Jim Crow has triumphant black stories in it. Tons of them. I know it does.
After reconstruction., there was the time of black women's suffrage. Ida B Wells and a bunch of black women's stories need to be told. Then came the Harlem Renaissance. It's amazing how many black stories are not told and not put in books.
I can't even find a decent black mystery book anymore.
Black books are better at visiting different time periods, but I'm tired ot "the struggle" being center of so many black written books. We can solve mysteries or be heroically brave and loving when a new friend is dying of cancer or be a superhero (other than Storm) or go back in time to save our own parents too.
I'm glad to see a slave movie produced, controlled, and well done by black people. I'm glad to see Civil Rights Movies produced, controlled, and well done by black people. That does NOT describe most of the slave movies many people are talking about being tired of seeing. Roots was fairly white washed for the masses according to friends who have seen the original Roots.
So I'm looking forward to Nate Parker's "BIRTH OF A NATION." The white version of the Nat Turner story in a book won a Pulitzer. And it's horrifying in it's white liberal attempt to be kind to simple-minded black men who think like children (<--yes a="" actually="" and="" as="" attitudes="" be="" behaviors.="" black="" by="" can="" come="" do="" existence="" font="" for="" google="" have="" i="" in="" instead="" irth="" is="" it="" justified="" kkk="" made="" many="" might="" more="" motive="" movie.="" movie="" murder="" name.="" nate="" nation="" of="" original="" other="" over-written.="" over="" parker="" people.="" probably="" provided="" put="" racists="" s="" same="" sarcasm="" so="" styron="" t="" the="" their="" thing="" this="" to="" understand="" unified="" up="" version="" wait="" which="" white="" william="" write="">
BUT if time and money available for black movies is limited I'd rather see something from a time period other than slavery. On this, I do agree with the "I'm tired of Slavery Movies" folk.
But I also understand black movie makers seeing and reading white washed versions of OUR stories and deciding, "I'm not going to let this stand as part of the record, not even the fictionalized account. I'm making a new one."
So for every 4 or 5 movies Ava DuVernay makes, I'm fine with a civil rights or slavery movie For every 4 or 5 movies Nate Parker makes, I'm fine with a civil rights or slavery movie.
We have more social power than ever before. That's why the verbal violence (Trump) and the physical violence (white supremacy laden police killing us) is so out in the open again. It's push back. When white people feel like their very real privilege is not privilege but just "normal" then losing that privilege is going to feel like loss. All the ugliness going on around us, born of white fear, tells me that our social power exists and is increasing.
We need to use that power to re-write the white washed versions of our own stories. Hell, I'm already looking forward to a black remake of "Django."
I've been waiting for the ones that are now being made and influenced by black people. So, I was waiting for "12 YEARS A SLAVE."
And, I'm loving John Legend for bringing "UNDERGROUND" to television. If they reduce the white couple's role in the show and I also get to see Harriet Tubman in action next season, I might send him a bouquet of flowers.
And I'm dying to see Octavia Butler's "Kindred" made into a movie too.
HOWEVER, I do get that people are tired of the same time period being hit again and again and again in the movies. It is amazing to me how stories of the time right after reconstruction get passed over, as far as historical movie making goes. There was a time right after the Civil War when black folks were elected to Congress, were so hopeful of an easy transition to equality (They never would have guessed it would take 100 years to...) The time before the Southern Whites got their feet back under themselves after the Civil War, that window before the full court press of Jim Crow has triumphant black stories in it. Tons of them. I know it does.
After reconstruction., there was the time of black women's suffrage. Ida B Wells and a bunch of black women's stories need to be told. Then came the Harlem Renaissance. It's amazing how many black stories are not told and not put in books.
Black books are better at visiting different time periods, but I'm tired ot "the struggle" being center of so many black written books. We can solve mysteries or be heroically brave and loving when a new friend is dying of cancer or be a superhero (other than Storm) or go back in time to save our own parents too.
I'm glad to see a slave movie produced, controlled, and well done by black people. I'm glad to see Civil Rights Movies produced, controlled, and well done by black people. That does NOT describe most of the slave movies many people are talking about being tired of seeing. Roots was fairly white washed for the masses according to friends who have seen the original Roots.
So I'm looking forward to Nate Parker's "BIRTH OF A NATION." The white version of the Nat Turner story in a book won a Pulitzer. And it's horrifying in it's white liberal attempt to be kind to simple-minded black men who think like children (<--yes a="" actually="" and="" as="" attitudes="" be="" behaviors.="" black="" by="" can="" come="" do="" existence="" font="" for="" google="" have="" i="" in="" instead="" irth="" is="" it="" justified="" kkk="" made="" many="" might="" more="" motive="" movie.="" movie="" murder="" name.="" nate="" nation="" of="" original="" other="" over-written.="" over="" parker="" people.="" probably="" provided="" put="" racists="" s="" same="" sarcasm="" so="" styron="" t="" the="" their="" thing="" this="" to="" understand="" unified="" up="" version="" wait="" which="" white="" william="" write="">
BUT if time and money available for black movies is limited I'd rather see something from a time period other than slavery. On this, I do agree with the "I'm tired of Slavery Movies" folk.
But I also understand black movie makers seeing and reading white washed versions of OUR stories and deciding, "I'm not going to let this stand as part of the record, not even the fictionalized account. I'm making a new one."
So for every 4 or 5 movies Ava DuVernay makes, I'm fine with a civil rights or slavery movie For every 4 or 5 movies Nate Parker makes, I'm fine with a civil rights or slavery movie.
We have more social power than ever before. That's why the verbal violence (Trump) and the physical violence (white supremacy laden police killing us) is so out in the open again. It's push back. When white people feel like their very real privilege is not privilege but just "normal" then losing that privilege is going to feel like loss. All the ugliness going on around us, born of white fear, tells me that our social power exists and is increasing.
We need to use that power to re-write the white washed versions of our own stories. Hell, I'm already looking forward to a black remake of "Django."
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