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Black Lives Matter

Films in Full Colour #3: WAVES

June 19, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We, at ScreenFish, believe that we are all created in God’s image and want to show our support where we can to those in the Black Community who continue to battle against systemic racism. While our team strives for diversity, we can always do better ourselves in giving voice to those who need the chance to speak out and be heard. 

In our new series, ‘Films in Full Colour’, we will be examining films that explore issues specifically within the black community. For each episode, my co-host will be Jordan Thoms, pastor of Warden Underground Church in Toronto and our hope is that, through the lens of film, we might be able to shine light on the issues faced every day by African Americans. This week, Jordan and I welcome ThatShelf.com’s Victor Stiff to look at broken fatherhood, racial injustice in the court system and healing through forgiveness in Trey Edward Shults’ Waves.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

Films in Full Colour #3: WavesDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Kelvin Harrison Jr, Lucas Hedges, racial injustice, Trey Edward Shults, Waves

Films in Full Colour #2: JUST MERCY

June 13, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We, at ScreenFish, believe that we are all created in God’s image and want to show our support where we can to those in the Black Community who continue to battle against systemic racism. While our team strives for diversity, we can always do better ourselves in giving voice to those who need the chance to speak out and be heard. 

In our new series, ‘Films in Full Colour’, we will be examining films that explore issues specifically within the black community. For each episode, my co-host will be Jordan Thoms, pastor of Warden Underground Church in Toronto and our hope is that, through the lens of film, we might be able to shine light on the issues faced every day by African Americans. This week, Jordan and I welcome film analyst Chris Utley to the show to talk about justice and its relationship to hopelessness, and what it means to tell a new story through Destin Daniel Cretton’s Just Mercy.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

Films in Full Colour 2: Just MercyDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Jamie Foxx, Just Mercy, Michael B. Jordan, racial justice, racism

Films in Full Colour #1: QUEEN & SLIM

June 5, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

We, at ScreenFish, believe that we are all created in God’s image and want to show our support where we can to those in the Black Community who continue to battle against systemic racism. While our team strives for diversity, we can always do better ourselves in giving voice to those who need the chance to speak out and be heard. 

In our new series, ‘Films in Full Colour’, we will be examining films that explore issues specifically within the black community. For each episode, my co-host will be Jordan Thoms, pastor of Warden Underground Church in Toronto and our hope is that, through the lens of film, we might be able to shine light on the issues faced every day by African Americans. This week, Jordan and I welcome Enrico and Lauren Kabongo on the show to delve into spinning narratives, racial stereotyping and leaving a legacy in Melina Matsoukas’ Queen & Slim.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue the conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ‘Fishing for More’ — some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

FFC1: Queen & SlimDownload

Filed Under: Featured, Film, Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Daniel Kaluuya, Films in Full Colour, Jodie Turner-Smith, Melina Matsoukas, Queen & Slim, racial justice, systemic racism

Black Lives Matter; Remembering Ravi Zacharias

June 3, 2020 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

your sunday drive podcast

In this new episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we discuss the current unrest following the death of George Floyd, including conversation about Black Lives Matter vs. “All Lives Matter,” protests vs. looting, the role of social media and politics, biblical examples (including Jesus flipping tables) and frameworks for understanding justice, value, etc.

We then take a brief moment to reflect on writer/speaker Ravi Zacharias, who passed away recently, sharing some takeaways and highlights of Ravi speaking.

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Filed Under: Podcast Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, christian podcast, culture, george floyd, Jesus, police brutality, politics, protest, ravi zacharias, riot, Temple, Trump, your sunday drive

Queen & Slim: Running into Love

March 3, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

I have heard Queen & Slim called a black Bonnie and Clyde (which references a line in the film) and a heterosexual Thelma & Louise. The latter is more apt, but neither really quite captures the way this film fuses the on-the-run trope with today’s cultural affairs.

Daniel Kaluuya as Slim in Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas.

This is the story of a black man (Daniel Kaluuya) and woman (Jodie Turner-Smith) on their first date. It is a nightmare. These two have nothing in common. He is a working man; she is a criminal defense attorney. He is religious—praying before meals, vanity license plate: TRUSTGOD; she doesn’t believe in God. He is looking to create a relationship; she accepted the date because it was a bad day and she didn’t want to be by herself. While driving home after the disastrous date, they are pulled over by a police officer for a minor traffic infraction. The cop is abusive and the situation escalates until the black man ends up shooting and killing the officer in self-defense.

Jodie Turner-Smith as Queen in Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas.

The man wants to confess what he’s done, knowing it was unavoidable, but the woman knows how the justice system treats black people and convinces him that they must go on the run. Before long the dashcam video goes viral and there is a nationwide manhunt. As the days pass, this odd couple is together in a car looking for a plan. They slowly learn more about each other and themselves. The relationship, that seemed so impossible on that date, warms and develops into something precious to them both.

You may have noted that I’ve not used names for these two characters. We don’t know their names until the last few minutes of the film. They are essentially anonymous. Even the names in the title are not used in the film. Those names are also designed to make these two into an every man and woman. Screenwriter Lena Waithe says she used Queen “because I think all Black women are Queens”. Slim, she says, is an affectionate name black men use among themselves.

Along the way, the two encounter other people. Many, but not all, of the black people they meet are supportive. Many even see them as folk heroes or revolutionaries. Slim and Queen seem taken aback by these perceptions. That is a key difference between this film and Bonnie and Clyde and Thelma & Louise. Queen and Slim have no self-understanding that they are anything more than people in trouble. There is a nice coda in the film (in which we learn their real names) that revisits some of those people they met along the way in the aftermath of their journey.

(from left, centered) Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) in Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas.

Both natures of the film—criminals on the run and growing relationship—are present throughout, but the first half of the film is more heavily focused on the on-the-run theme. At just about the halfway mark, the film shifts the weight of the story to the relationship. It is in this half that we begin to learn more about the characters. Queen has seemed to be cold and detached. She seems strong and capable. But she has a past that has made her hide her vulnerabilities. Slim is trusting, compliant, and fearful. He is filled with guilt over killing a man. As they travel together, he must overcome his fear as he strives to survive.

(from left) Slim (Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith) in Queen & Slim, directed by Melina Matsoukas.

This film cannot be understood without an appreciation of the ways racism forms people’s lives. As we watch that traffic stop unfold and escalate into a lethal encounter, we know that Slim was justified in his action. But should he trust the legal system to treat him fairly? Is Queen right that as soon as he gave himself up he would “become the property of the state”? How a person of color answers those questions will likely differ from how persons of privilege react to them.

Special features include commentary from the writer and director, “A Deeper Meaning” with Kaluuya, Turner-Smith, and the filmmakers; “Melina & Lena” with the writer and director; the “Off the Script” screenplay reading; and “On the Run with Queen & Slim” behind-the-scenes.

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, Daniel Kaluuya, Jodie Turner-Smith, love story, Melina Matsoukas, road movie

The Hate U Give – Discovering a Self and a Voice

January 22, 2019 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

In Hamlet, Polonius tells his son Laertes, “This above all: to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as day the night, thou canst not be false to any man.” In The Hate U Give, a young African-American girl must struggle not just with being true to herself, but with which of her personae is her true self.

Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) lives in two worlds. Her parents, Maverick (Russell Hornsby) and Lisa (Regina Hall), have opted to live in Garden Heights, a working-class black neighborhood, even though they could afford to live in a more upscale area. Mav and Lisa are from Garden Heights and want to be part of the community there. In Garden Heights, Starr Version One fits in perfectly. She speaks the slang and wears the right shoes. She knows the people there. They are her people.

Amandla Stenberg stars in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE HATE U GIVE. Photo Credit: Erika Doss.

But Mav and Lisa want more for Starr and her brothers, Seven (Lamar Johnson) and Sekani (TJ Wright), so they send them to a predominantly white prep school across town. At school, Starr Version Two also fits in. She leaves the slang behind. (Her friends use it to sound cool; she would just sound “hood.”) Her best friends at school, including her boyfriend, are all white. Every day she goes back and forth between these worlds, but she is two very different people in each.

L-R: Megan Lawless, Amandla Stenberg, and Sabrina Carpenter in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE HATE U GIVE. Photo Credit: Erika Doss.

When she goes to a party in the Heights one night, a fight breaks out and her childhood friend Khalil helps her escape the violence as they drive off in his car. When Khalil is pulled over by a police officer, the traffic stop escalates into a confrontation that ends up with Khalil being shot and killed. Starr is the only witness. How that role plays out in her two separate worlds forces her to come to grips with who she is and how she must act.

Starr struggles under the weight of her responsibility. Many want her to testify against the officer to bring justice for Khalil’s death. But there are others who want her to stay silent, including King (Anthony Mackie), head of the neighborhood gang (to which Mav once belonged). King does not want anything to come out about Khalil dealing drugs for him. At school, Starr doesn’t want it known that she is the witness because of what her friends might think. She also encounters those there who side with the police officer, assuming nothing was wrong with the killing.

Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE HATE U GIVE. Photo Credit: Erika Doss.

How can Starr be true to herself (and her family, her friendship with Khalil, her community, and the concept of justice) when she has not yet learned who she really is?

Identity is a key concept in this film. Starr and her brothers have names that their parents gave to them for specific reasons that reflect who they are to become. The film also shows how shoes can be a part of one’s identity. What shoes someone wears may speak loudly to those around them. It may seem like a minor bit of life, but within the context of the film, one is what one wears. For Starr, her growing sense of justice and seeking her voice means she must come to terms with all the ways her identity has been fragmented. It is of note that in the voice over we hear of Starr’s testimony to the grand jury, we do not hear about what happened but about who Khalil was to her. To share Khalil’s identity is key for her.

The film opens with Mav and Lisa giving “The Talk” to nine year old Starr and her brothers. They try to explain the injustice they will inevitably encounter. They teach them how to behave when stopped by police in hopes of staying alive. Then Mav gives them the Black Panthers’ Ten Point Plan and demands that they memorize it. “Know your rights. Know your worth”, he tells them. There is something bordering on the sacred in these moments. To be sure, it lays out a very scary reality, but it is also clearly an act of love and nurture.

Amandla Stenberg stars in Twentieth Century Fox’s THE HATE U GIVE. Photo Credit: Erika Doss.

That tone of near sacredness recurs often throughout the film, often in small ways, such as when Starr looks through her box of childhood memories, and at time in more profound ways, as when Starr addresses the crowd at a protest. It is a reminder of the many times in lives that we encounter the sacred, not because we are looking for the presence of God, but because the divine in always close at hand.

It would be an oversimplification to call this a Black Lives Matter film, although it most certainly fits that description. But it is also a far deeper examination of not only African-American identity, but of the importance of finding oneself in order to know one’s place in the world and how that fulfills what one is meant to do with their life. Starr has been shaped by many competing forces including the systemic racism of society. In this film she begins to come into her own—to find her voice and her future.

Available now on 4K, Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD, the film comes with several special features: “Maverick and Seven Protecting Their Home,” “Uprising,” “Seven’s Graduation” extended scenes; “Starr: Shine Your Light,” “Starting a Conversation,” “The Talk,” “Code Switching,” “The Heart of Georgia,” and “Thank U Georgia” featurettes; “and audio commentary with director Tillman with select cast and crew.

Photos courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Amandla Stenberg, Anthony Mackie, Black Lives Matter, coming-of-age, driving while black, Gang, police, race, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, The Hate U Give, The Talk

Of Course All These Alt-Right Racists Are Wrong, but Why?

August 14, 2017 by Matt Hill 1 Comment

you’re likely upset about
what happened in Charlottesville

maybe you’ve talked about it,
maybe took  some kind of
social media stance,
maybe just sort of saddened inside

it’s probably super obvious to you
that all these alt-right racists are wrong,
that racism is wrong
(“evil” as Trump (finally) put it),
has always been wrong,
that we should do something about it

fair enough,
understandable enough
(of course i agree)

but have you asked yourself
why?
not why you feel as you do,
or why racism seems so clearly wrong,
but actually
why is racism wrong?
what makes it wrong?
put another way,
how do we know it’s wrong or
are we justified in saying it’s wrong?

i mean . . .

is it wrong cuz it seems wrong?
(but unfortunately it doesn’t seem wrong to everyone)

is it wrong cuz everyone agrees it’s wrong?
(but unfortunately they don’t)

is it wrong cuz it’s not “fair?”
(what’s “fair” mean?
who defines it?
who says everything is
or should be “fair?”)

is it wrong cuz you wouldn’t want someone
to be racist to you,
so you shouldn’t be racist to someone else?
(wait, what makes this line of thinking
the line of thinking?
is there some other similar line of thinking
that applies certainly?)

is it wrong cuz humans (or Americans)
all “deserve” “dignity” “equally?”
(again: problems abound)

maybe you think racism is
self-evidently wrong
and that saying so
requires no justification at all
(but is it possible the alt-right racists
feel they’re self-evidently right?

can science prove racism is wrong?
(or could a solely Darwinian/naturalistic understanding
of eugenics in fact be used to support racism?
has it been? is it currently being?)

(we could go on)

what i’m saying is this:
none of these lines of thinking can
truly justify the claim that
racism is wrong;
further,
none of these lines of thinking can
justify the claim that
anything is wrong (or right)
in general

further,
there is but one line of thinking, in fact,
that can truly ground these kinds of moral claims,
and it’s the one where
we know, cuz God;
where things are wrong (or right),
in general,
cuz God

and so, further,
as a consequence,
making moral claims sans God,
ultimately,
is making ungrounded,
unjustified claims

so,
to circle back,
of course all these alt-right racists are wrong,
but why?
why is racism wrong?
what makes it wrong?
what right do we have to feel and think it’s wrong?
what justifies us when we say it’s wrong?
. . .
cuz God says so

(now, exactly how we know he says so,
how and where he does so,
what reason we have for thinking so,
what to do in response,
how to deal with the fact that
we continue to make horrible errors
even given all of this, etc. etc. . . .
those are (excellent) questions
for another time)

[For some awesome unpacking of these ideas that I stumbled upon recently through the Unbelievable? podcast (which you should totally subscribe to), check out “The Most Important Thing This French Atheist Taught Me About Christianity.” 

This article doesn’t necessarily make what’s called “the moral argument for God” – as I have above – but it does specifically look at philosopher (and atheist) Luc Ferry to trace our western ideal of human equality back to Christianity itself. As Ferry puts it:

. . . the Greek world is an aristocratic world, one which rests entirely upon the conviction that there exists a natural hierarchy…of plants, of animals, but also of men: some men are born to command, others to obey, which is why Greek political life accommodates itself easily to the notion of slavery.

In direct contradiction, Christianity was to introduce the notion that humanity was fundamentally identical, that men were equal in dignity – an unprecedented idea at the time, and one to which our world owes its entire democratic inheritance.

This [idea of human equality] may seem self-evident, but it was literally unheard-of at the time, and it turned an entire world-order upside down.

Given recent events in our country, it seems like a good time to remember that – just as much racism is culturally inherited – much of our outrage against racism is culturally inherited too, insofar as our culture is still “Christian.” However, we can intentionally choose these values and be justified in doing so, as described above.]

Filed Under: Current Events, Editorial, OtherFish Tagged With: alt right, atheism, Black Lives Matter, charlottesville, Christian, Christianity, current events, God, luc ferry, moral argument, naturalism, protest, racist, response, riot, spiritual, Trump

Let It Fall – Anatomy of a Riot

April 21, 2017 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

It was twenty-five years ago this month that Los Angeles erupted in a violent civil disturbance. Many people remember it as a response to the acquittal of four police officers who were involved in beating Rodney King. While that verdict was an important component of the anger within the African American community, there is much more that led up to the violence that broke out. In Let It Fall: Los Angeles 1982-1992 John Ridley (Oscar winner for his screenplay of 12 Years a Slave) lays out the broader history of those events.

It should be said that I have lived most of my life in the Los Angeles area. The situations that are chronicled in this film aren’t new information for me. But the film is valuable in showing the way things built up over this ten year period to reach an explosive situation. (It could be argued that there were left over issues from the 1965 Watts Riots at play as well, but that would likely be too long a history to distill into a film. Even with the ten year spread, this documentary runs nearly two and a half hours.

The story is told with both archival footage and with interviews of people who were involved. This includes people of various races and ethnicities. It includes police officers (including the lieutenant who made the decision to pull out of the 71st and Normandie area when the uprising was beginning.), community members, victims and their families, and even some of those who committed violent crimes during that time.

As noted, this is the culmination of many years of problems in Los Angeles. About the first third of the film deals with the police culture under then-Chief Darryl Gates. But it was not just policing that created the situation. There were issues between the Black and Korean communities that came to a head not long before the King beating with the killing by a Korean shopkeeper of African American ninth grader Latasha Harlens. The shopkeeper was found guilty of manslaughter and given probation.

The middle third deals with the King beating (referred to in the film as “The Foothill Incident”) and the trial of the police officers. This section includes the remembrances of the prosecutor of that case. The final third focuses on the civil disturbance itself. This is the part that most people will be familiar with from news reports, but because it includes interviews with some of those involved (both law breakers and those who stepped in to rescue people) it provides insights and perspectives that we might not otherwise know.

Of course, this is not just a history lesson of a turbulent time. The film never mentions more recent issues that have led to Black Lives Matter, but one cannot watch this film and not see today’s world. Certainly, there have been changes in law enforcement (at least in L.A.) since that time, but the underlying issues of race and justice continue to be in the forefront of our national and local contemplation. It may remind us how close we may still be to the possibility of those who feel oppressed rising to seek the justice that has been denied. It may be through protests or through other more violent means.

Photos courtesy of Lincoln Square Productions

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, documentary, Los Angeles, police, race, riot

I Am Not Your Negro – The More Things Change…

March 3, 2017 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“The story of the Negro in America is the story of America. It is not a pretty story.”

Can the words of an African-American writer who has been dead for three decades speak to the America of today? I Am Not Your Negro is almost entirely the words of James Baldwin, some from archival TV footage, some in voiceover by Samuel L. Jackson. The world that Baldwin speaks of is the America of the 1950s through 1970s. His words are augmented by news and TV footage of that time and by movie clips that reflect that time period. But there are also news clips that reflect today’s America as well. We are asked to consider if Baldwin’s words are still applicable today.

Baldwin was an extremely articulate voice in matters of race. He also brought great insight into an issue that was more than just about skin color. When we see him in archival footage he speaks in an almost cerebral manner about issues that are very visceral. We can sense an anger within him, yet he holds that back in order to speak in words that can be heard and appreciated for their intelligence more than merely as rhetoric. The voiceover (taken from his writings) have the same tone; they are not emotionless, but the passion is always just a touch under the surface.

Viewers might think that this is essentially a work about history. It is after all about a different period in American history, told in the words of a man who has long since passed. The violence of the racial struggle of that time is brought forth vividly in the archival footage. It also comes out in Baldwin’s words. He reminds us that African-Americans faced terrible violence at that time. The greatest examples of this are the deaths of Baldwin’s friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in a five year period. But those deaths echo a broader vicious atmosphere that confronted schoolgirls seeking to go to school and men and women who sought the rights that belonged to them. Baldwin rightly notes that violence and anger are present in both white and black citizens throughout this struggle.

Of course, in 2017 we have made progress in racial matters. Integration is no longer a matter being fought school by school. Even with last year’s “Oscars so white” controversy, people of color are far more represented in today’s arts and media than film after film with Sidney Poitier in that era. Many even spoke of a post-racial society with the election of Barak Obama in 2008. But when we hear Baldwin’s words, we quickly understand that at a foundational level, little has changed in the last few decades. His words, spoken so long ago, still resonate in a world in which we have to be reminded that black lives matter and in which people of color continue to suffer unproportionately from poverty and incarceration. Baldwin’s understanding of the fears and rage of both White and Black are still just as valid today as they were when he spoke and wrote about them.

The takeaway for this film is that even though we do indeed live in a different time, there are still far too many similarities with those past years for us to ignore the racial issues that still exist in our society. For those who desire to understand the ongoing struggle that racism represents, I Am Not Your Negro is a good starting place.

Photos courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

Filed Under: Film, Reviews Tagged With: Black Lives Matter, documentary, James Baldwin, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, Oscar nominated, racism, Raoul Peck

13th – History Today

October 12, 2016 by Arnaldo Reyes Leave a Comment

13th posterAmerica makes up twenty-five percent of the world’s prison population….twenty-five percent!!!!

Does systemic racism truely exist? We live in a time where that question is very much in the forefront of our attention. Depending on whether you are on the right or left, your answer to that question is different. If you are in the middle, then you don’t know. I, for one, believed that social injustice is real but that systemic racism was not. However, after watching this documentary, I have my doubts.

This isn’t about conspiracy theories, or even looking at it through one set of lenses. 13th actually gives us all the lenses we need to take a step back and think. It is meant to make you uncomfortable. For the majority of us who are not history majors, we take our history at the surface level, never digging any deeper. The 13th amendment is celebrated in our nation’s history. It put a stop to one of the most horrific and inhumane things this country has ever been a part of. It was meant to be exactly what it said, freedom for all. However, loopholes allow it to be something else, something we all never looked into.

poster from slave to criminalThe common theme of 13th is a look at our prison system, and how slavery was just replaced with mass incarceration. Slavery was a huge business for the South, and taking that away caused an economic hit. The labor force is gone, and there is no way slave owners were going to actually get the slaves to stay and work, so what happens? It’s easy: make them criminals since it doesn’t violate the law. For decades, starting when slavery was abolished through today, this documentary shows us the history of how instilling fear in the eyes and minds of many can help create a system that basically enslaves American citizens, the majority of whom are blacks. Slave owners were able to get their labor force back and in shackles. This fear-inducing tactic brought force lynchings and beatings, then segregation and Jim Crow, and after gaining rights, it is now the “war on drugs” or the “war on crime”. Connect the dots, and you will see that throughout American history, freedom is something that has not been afforded to all.

Naturally, this is a documentary that many will say comes from a biased point of view. You either don’t believe it’s true and therefore ignore and brush it off, or you believe its true and you will embrace it and campaign to right this wrong. Early on, my first thought was “oh man, this is a Republican-bashing documentary and taking shots at their favorite President, Reagan”. Then later, it’s Clinton that gets hammered so that thought is quickly gone. This isn’t about bashing one political party but rather pointing out the faults and flaws in both and how, whether conciously or not, their decisions have been made in order to hold down those in poor communities, primarily blacks. There is even audio of campaign officials from a former President that clearly stated it!

The amount of money made from prisoners and keeping prisons full is astounding. There are economic reasons, racial reasons, and social reasons why America finds itself where it is. Many laws at times allowed for law enforcement to abuse their power. When politicians say, ‘we’re at war,’ and then put fear into the citizens and show them what this enemy looks like, bias is formed. For instance, if someone gets busted for cocaine (mainly in suburbs and used by whites), they received a lesser penalty than those who got busted for the same amount in crack (basically the same drug but this one is primarily in the ghetto and used by blacks). Drug dealers and users of crack were getting life sentences.

We talk about the absence of fathers as one of the biggest issues in the black community, but how can they be present when they are unjustly in jail? And don’t get the words confused, no one is saying they shouldn’t pay for their crimes, but the question is, how much? We fill prisons and don’t rehabilitate. Any changes is spearheaded with profit in mind while still keeping the prisons full.

blacks vs policeSo how can we look through these lenses of this history that rarely make it to us, and see how it relates today? The common divide in today’s social tensions is the idea that the media has sensationalized a few incidents to make it seem like it’s a systemic problem. The reality is, that is both true and false. It is true, that the media has pushed it into the light for whatever reasons (because it isn’t for justice), but social media has done it as well. But it’s not something that came out of nowhere. This has been going on since the 13th amendment was enacted. It builds and it builds and as history has shown; there are moments where it explodes.

The film Birth of a Nation shows us one incident. In the times of King and Malcom X we had more. And now, it is Black Lives Matter. It is a series of common events that all start with the same thing, a black person as the subject of police brutality. Now, you can have your thoughts on Black Lives Matter, but let us get one thing straight: Black Lives Matter is not an organization but a movement. They have no P.O. Box, they don’t have membership dues. They don’t meet every Thursday night, etc. It is a movement birthed from centuries of mistreatement, witnessed by generation to generation of fathers, mothers, children being mistreated or taken away from their families. It doesn’t say that other lives are not important, but it represents those that have been treated as less than human saying “hey, we ALSO matter”. [However, I will not ignore that there are some that abuse the movement to commit terrorist acts. But the few shouldn’t be judged by the many. Just like not all Muslims are radical terrorists, just like not all Christians are KKK or Westboro, Black Lives Matter falls into the same category where bad people have taken something good and turned it to evil.]

With all that said, what 13th does is challenges us to take a step back, to examine what is in front of us, and t0 ask us to really think, is this real? It should make you uncomfortable. Mass encarceration is a problem, one that can’t be fixed until America decides to admit that it is wrong and that it was set up to target a certain demographic. In the end, we can’t have an informed debate on the current state of police versus the black community if we choose to ignore the past.

Filed Under: Editorial, Featured, Reviews, Television Tagged With: 13th, 13th amendment, Black Lives Matter

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