Discussing the Highly Historically-Inaccurate Portrayal of the Life of Slave Rebel, Nat Turner, in the Film, “The Birth of a Nation”

The following correspondence originally took place on my Facebook wall, upon my post, “‘The Birth of a Nation’ Presents a Highly Historically-Inaccurate Portrayal of the Life of Slave Rebel, Nat Turner”

"The Birth of a Nation"

“The Birth of a Nation”

Rayn: *sigh* What a waste of an opportunity… It figures…

“The Birth of a Nation” Is an Epic Fail:
https://www.thenation.com/article/the-birth-of-a-nation-is-an-epic-fail/

Tammy S.: I had such high hopes. Your cousins are going to see it today… I can’t wait to hear their opinion.

“The Birth of a Nation” Presents a Highly Historically-Inaccurate Portrayal of the Life of Slave Rebel, Nat Turner

I originally posted the following information and commentary onto my Facebook wall…

2016-10-07-the-birth-of-a-nation-presents-a-highly-historically-inaccurate-portrayal-of-the-life-of-slave-rebel-nat-turner

“The Birth of a Nation”

“The Birth of a Nation” Is an Epic Fail:
https://www.thenation.com/article/the-birth-of-a-nation-is-an-epic-fail/

(Leslie M. Alexanderfirestorm of controversy has swirled around Nate Parker and his film The Birth of a Nation in the two months since several media outlets revealed that Parker and his co-author, Jean McGianni Celestin, stood trial for raping a young woman in 1999. Across the country, social media lit up as people debated Parker’s guilt, questioned whether to boycott the film, and expressed outrage about violence against women. As the storm raged, however, one critical issue went ignored. No one questioned the fundamental value or quality of the film. Based on the standing ovations it received at the Sundance Film Festival, we assumed that The Birth of a Nation was inherently valuable, inspirational, educational, and transformative.

We were wrong.

The Birth of a Nation claims to tell the true story of Nat Turner, leader of the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history. A film on Turner is long overdue, and as a professional historian of the black experience in the nineteenth century, I have anxiously awaited one. I was especially encouraged by September’s issue of Vanity Fair, in which Parker stated that he had become “obsessed with the idea of telling Nat Turner’s story” and that he sought to create “historical fidelity in his depiction of the leader of the rebellion.”

After attending an advance screening of the film, however, I now know that Parker failed miserably in his mission. Contrary to his promises of “historical fidelity,” Parker created a deeply flawed, historically inaccurate movie that exploits and distorts Nat Turner’s story and the history of slavery in America. Nearly everything in the movie—ranging from Turner’s relationship with his family, to his life as a slave, and even the rebellion itself—is a complete fabrication. Certainly the film contains sprinklings of historical fact, but the bulk of Parker’s story about the rebellion is fictitious: Nat Turner did not murder his owner, nor did he kill a slave patroller. Turner’s rebellion was not betrayed by a young boy, or by anyone else involved in the revolt.

(Read entire article here…)

My Commentary: *sigh* What a waste of an opportunity… It figures…

Reject the Prison Pipeline Called Public School!

I originally posted the following information and commentary onto my Facebook wall…

2016-08-18-reject-the-prison-pipeline-called-public-school

Black Families in Georgia Are Rejecting Public School:
https://fee.org/articles/black-families-in-georgia-are-rejecting-public-school/

() During the 1950s and 60s, America’s black families fought a difficult battle to integrate the public schools, hoping to give their children a better education. Because of this hard-won victory, many black parents have been strong supporters of public schools in the subsequent decades.

But that support may be changing.

(Read entire article here…)

My Commentary: Reject the prison pipeline called public school.

In the South, Craziness Isn’t Hidden!

I originally posted the following photo I took, along with statement, onto my Facebook wall…

A sign in a Greensboro, NC restaurant that reads, "Here in the South, we don't hide crazy... We parade it around on the front porch and give it a sweet tea."

A sign in a Greensboro, NC restaurant that reads, “Here in the South, we don’t hide crazy… We parade it around on the front porch and give it a sweet tea.”

Ha! 🙂 Now, where’s my sweet tea?