The Black Lives Matter movement has stirred much controversy despite its intentions and accomplishments to draw much needed attention to an ongoing issue in not only America but the world.
This movement was popularized after the murder of Trayvon Martin. It since got a lot of backlash of being a terroristic organization provoking violence. Today we see the same thing happening after George Floyd’s death by the hands of the police.
The sad truth is the Black Lives Matter or BLM movement as it is called has been taken advantage of. There are organization that have set up in the name of BLM that don’t seem to fit the cause. There are rumours which have been debunked but still remain that the BLM organizations funnel donations to fund the democratic party. Whether true or not I want to focus on why the BLM is so important. Why some persons might be angry or even violent in their pursuit to get the message across.
Resurrection Black Wall Street: A Blueprint
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/resurrecting_black_wall_street
This documentary talks in depth about the affluent black communities in the United States of America between 1880’s and 1920’s before they were attacked and destroyed. It goes further in details as to how we could return to this state of affluence where black businesses and communities can thrive.
Many people are not aware that such communities existed. This is recognized when you hear people of all races say things like “The black community is the only community that doesn’t pull themselves together and unite to uplift themselves from poverty. The Chinese, the Jewish, the Irish, the Hindus all manage to build wealth but the black communities squander their money”.
It is disheartening to hear this narrative. When I started learning about Black Wall Street, I discovered that black communities have achieved this before, many times, but it is an aspect of our history that was kept from us. In fact most Americans didn’t know about it until the series “Watchmen” came out in 2019 on HBO.
In that series we saw horrific bombings, shootings and hanging of black business owners, children and women in their own community. In the documentaries you will realize that’s exactly how it went. You will also learn why it happened and how we can use the blueprint from that era to resurrect that successful model. So if you are interested in learning the history as well as how we can overcome our current situation, this is a good documentary for you.
Wilmington on fire
www.kweli.tv
This is a much better production than “Resurrecting Wall Street” but it is much more specific information about Wilmington. At first I thought it was similar information on a smaller scope but it actually was more revealing because it gave not only a deeper sense of how the community started, how the community was VERY integrated but they reveal documentation that demonstrates how racism was manipulated to fuel the annihilation of the community and how it psychologically and emotionally affected the descendants of that community.
So imagine living free in a community where you control the ports, the factories, the grocery stores, the banks, barbershops, everything. You have a checkered distribution of black and white businesses side by side each other. Interracial unions and a completely self sustained community. Then you have outsider white folks who witness the affluence and then get jealous and literally plot to destroy the community with machine guns and fire.
This is not speculation. Documentation uncovered details of violations in the law to facilitate the massacre that took place as well as the removal of black people from their property. Yet the ancestors have to drive past their forefathers property now illegally owned with no remuneration.
Imagine if you saved and built your home and someone shoots your family, puts you on a train and says leave town or be hung. Imagine when your town is burned down and you try to rebuild but you cannot buy raw material because it is owned by white owners who refuse to sell to you.
Imagine also seeing how in depth the democrats were in this entire ordeal. It is a very revealing piece.
Bessie Coleman: The First Black Aviatrix
https://www.kweli.tv/programs/bessie-coleman
This documentary is definitely narrower in focus. It is specifically about Bessie Coleman the first black female pilot. She just like Eugene Bullard (First black pilot) had to go to France where there was less racism to learn how to fly.
In America, she was told that because she was black she did not have the cognitive ability to learn how to fly. They were not only wrong but she became famous for her abilities.
Why I put this film in the mix is because her life happened around the same time period as the Black Wall Street Massacres. We get to see how it affects her and how it ran parallel to her struggles. It underscored how no matter how you try to advance as a black person especially in that time period, people are willing to go very far to sabotage your success.
In Closing
If you want to watch these documentaries you need to go to http://www.kwelitv.com . The reason these films are important is that it demonstrates where our frustrations originate. Slavery was a horrific act but once it was abolished in 1838 one would think that 50 years after slavery would be enough time to move on but it wasn’t.
You think the massacre of self sufficient black communities was a long time ago but the last massacre happened in the 1920’s. My grandfather was alive then. So it was not that long ago. Literally 100 years ago.
When police shoot you in your own home, or arrest you in your own business when you call them. When security guards hold a black Sheriff in uniform at gunpoint and calls the cops on him, you start to get a better picture of why even though most of the protests are peaceful, there are quite a few violent ones.
You cannot expect a completely peaceful protest when people are still healing from the scars of their grandparents being shoot, hanged, burnt and bombed by the thousands when all they did was try to make good for themselves. While I don’t condone violent protest, I am not going to pretend I don’t understand it and I am not going to say I feel sorry for the results. The fact is, if you keep poking a Tiger, it will eventually bite you to death.
If we want change, we have to recognize where the problem started and why it is important to the people it affects. These documentaries are a great starting point. Go watch them.