Some
people are complaining that Hollywood
is producing too many movies about American slavery. But
that’s not the problem. There can never be too many movies that
depict the horrors of an American institution as important and as
devastating as slavery. And in fact, there may very well be way too
few depictions of slavery in Hollywood.
But
the real issue is that we don’t see nearly enough films
produced that show the diversity
of African-American experiences, our past or present and
our struggles and successes.
Since Django
Unchained was released in 2012 and 12 Years A Slave in
2013, there have been a number of slavery-themed offerings. The
latest film to grace the big screen is Free State of Jones,
starring Matthew McConaughey. It
is a true story of Newton Knight, a Mississippi farmer from Jones
County who rebelled against the Confederacy with an army of escaped
slaves and white Confederate deserters. A story about black and white
folks in the deep South who, word has it, formed an interracial
community and seceded from the Confederacy is quite a story that goes
against the grain of what we think of in a slavery or Civil War
narrative. Now that’s something that needs to be told and
watched by all. That the white protagonist proudly claimed his
children from his black commonn- law
wife — in addition to the children from his white wife —
reveals a time in history most know little about.
Free
State of Jones comes on the heels of History Channel’s
2016 reboot of the 1977 miniseries “Roots,” which
premiered on Memorial Day and was met with heartfelt praise.
However, there is growing grumblings of slave-movie fatigue,
and people like rapper Snoop Dog simply don’t want to see any
new films about slaves and don’t think Hollywood should make
them.
That
fatigue is likely to only grow as more films and TV series about our
nation’s original sin hit our big and small screens. WGN has a
TV series called “Underground,”which depicts a group of
slaves who escape from a Georgia plantation and make their way to
freedom in the North. Let’s not forget Nate Parker’s
forthcoming “The Birth of a Nation,” which chronicles the
Nat Turner rebellion and is out in theaters October 7. And an HBO
biopic on Harriet Tubman starring Viola Davis is in the
works.
But
for those who think the Oscars are already too white, if you think
Hollywood should stop making these movies, be careful what you ask
for. Your wish could come true, and we’ll pay a price for it.
For all of the complaints in the black community about the lack of
black faces on the screen, if we do not support stories about our
history, these films will no longer be made.
But
let’s be clear that there are millions of stories that must be
told. For example, Delroy
Lindo is going to play Marcus Garvey in an upcoming biopic,
and Danny
Glover wants to make a film about Toussaint L’Ouverture
and the Haitian Revolution. Consider all of the narratives that have
yet to make it to the movies — epic stories about the great
African empires of Mali and Songhay, legendary black inventors, or
the black members of Congress during Reconstruction, or Black Wall
Street, or Black Lives Matter, or even horror movies, sci-fi
thrillers, superhero flicks and animated films featuring a black
cast.
The
subject matter of “Roots,” Free State of
Jones and The Birth of a Nation resonate with
audiences today because they remind us how we got where we are today.
The Black Lives Matter movement, the killing of black bodies by
police, the continued institutional racism black Americans face in
every facet of life — from prisons and education to economics
and health — are a reflection of slavery, and we still haven’t
come to terms with that history.
If
the problem is a lack of diversity in the movies about black people —
which is most certainly the case — then we should and must
fight for a broader spectrum in the films that reflect voices of
color. If no one is telling these stories, then we must find a way to
tell them ourselves. But that does not mean that we should reject
important narratives about our legacy outright. There is plenty of
room.
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