I grew up in what was the Antebellum South. During my childhood, I did not learn about the
details of Nat Turner’s Rebellion. I do,
however, recall one of my teachers mentioning the rebellion in passing. I did not know the rebellion was led by a
black slave. Ironically, or maybe not so
ironically, I recall learning about John’s Brown’s anti-slavery efforts—I
wonder why? In the fall of 2000, I finally
discovered details regarding the rebellion in an African American Studies class.
Prior to this class, I had learned about
the typical African American heroes including: Frederick Douglas, Harriet
Tubman, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is funny how much of Black folks’ history is not taught in most
schools. If you care to learn about this
piece of U.S. history, you have to take a class during college. From the very beginning, Black folks have made
an immeasurable impact on this country, despite, in many instances—being
considered less than a man or woman.
Seeing Nat Turner’s story on the big screen is
profoundly important, impactful and powerful.
His story is so much more than a typical slave narrative. The typical slave narrative shows Black people
being beaten, raped, demeaned, tortured and killed. I hoped a director would write, produce and
release a movie that truly shows the fighting spirit of Black people. I mean we just had a Black president for
eight years, so anything is possible, right?
Although I grew tired of the same slave narrative, I watched movies and
read articles and books about the time period.
I did so because I believe history is important, and without
understanding your history, it is hard to understand where you are going and
why you are going. Without having an
understanding of slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow, how can you truly
understand the historical significance of the times we are living in now? And the similarities—albeit couched in a
different oppressive system.
I was cautiously
intrigued when I heard Nate Parker was making a movie about Nat Turner. However, I had questions: will the story
accurately portray Nat’s story, or will some non-black person be given credit
for the rebellion? Before The Birth of a Nation was released on the big
screen, it was lauded at the Sundance Movie Festival. I even heard there was a bidding war between
major movie labels for the right to release the movie. I thought: this might actually happen! The idea of a Black man playing the lead role
about slavery is no small feat. Knowing
that Nate Parker, and not Denzel Washington, or Will Smith—both well-known
Hollywood names—would be the lead was very interesting. As I dug deeper, I learned that Parker
actually took two years away from acting to raise money for the film. He put up $100,000.00 of his own money, which
was, in his own words, “all he had.” That
is admirable. How many people are
willing to risk it all, in the face of naysayers, to see a dream come
true?
Sexual
assault allegation. Trial. Acquittal.
Prior to Parker raising the money to finance his film, I had never heard
about his personal life (nor did I care).
What I knew: he was a talented actor who had played in one of my
favorite movies—The Great Debaters. Outside of that, I knew nothing. Indeed, I believe that his personal history
would have remained a relative mystery had he failed at raising money for the
movie. But, alas, he raised the
money. He wrote the script. He starred in it. He secured a stellar cast of Black actors. Once all of these pieces fell into place, I
started hearing about a sexual assault case from 1999. I am not here to argue the merits of that
case. However, he was acquitted of all charges
stemming from the 1999 case in 2001. In
this country, when a person is acquitted, that person is typically viewed as
being innocent. People don’t typically
demand an apology from someone who has maintained his innocence. Certainly, his or her history is not
publicized just before the release of a major motion picture. The strategic release of information
regarding his case was too carefully planned to be a coincidence. It was clearly a ploy to derail his project.
A few days ago, I watched an interview of Nate
Parker on the Breakfast Club. During
this interview, Nate talked about his movie being bigger than him and
his character. He talked about how this
movie should make (all) people feel uncomfortable, but how he hoped that it
would serve to encourage people to have open discussions about race, privilege,
and oppression. In 50 years, I believe people would look back to these times we
are living in now. People will see the
similarities between 2000s and the 1960s.
In the 1960s, Black folks were being oppressed, and abused. In 2016, Black men are still being imprisoned
and murdered by law enforcement—often without just provocation. If race
relations do not improve, there is no telling what people will do. That
should make everyone uncomfortable. We
should all be thinking of effective methods to deal with these issues before it
is too late. By no means am I saying The Birth of a Nation is the answer to these
issues. However, after seeing the movie,
I hope people will finally feel compelled to engage in honest discussions about
privilege and oppression.
The 2016 version of The Birth of a Nation tells a very powerful story. The plot is good and the acting is
believable. This movie was overdue and I
am pleased that it was released. It
shifted the traditional slave narrative—albeit temporarily—to show that Black
folks fought courageously against the system of bondage. We were not all docile. Many of us fought to the death for the
freedom we enjoy today. I would
recommend the movie to anyone—regardless of race, gender, or age.
Peace
