Black People : Stories We Were Never Told Concerning Slavery

[Keita Kenyatta]

I have often asked myself why it is that we as a people in this land don't actually know the story of our enslavement? We saw Roots, Mandingo, The Amastad and maybe Goodby Uncle Tom and Beloved. Each of these were fragments of our reality from there to here but none were quite the whole story being that there are so many aspects to it. I could blame the clear people for a lot of this but I'm not.

There are even those of our own that I could blame but I don't know who and would love to know who. In my new book I was able to track down over 420 rebellions by our people in Afraka as well as in this Western hemisphere. I know that we have black film makers and producers who 9 times out of 10 with them being in that industry, they would know more concerning what movies were out there or are out there dealing with this subject.

I was quite amazed and some what troubled to find that there were over 65 movies made concerning slavery. That's right, 65!!! While I do not expect the clear people to try and show us anything concerning that reality, I am a little curious as to why those of our people who are producers and movie makers didn't expose us to any of them???

I have my own answers of why and that disturbs me also. I'm disturbed because I am now aware that there are stories that we were never told concerning slavery and I really do know why. You see, those who consider themselves to be the chocolate version of the clear people don't want to have anything to do with slavery at all and many of our people would really prefer to act as if that never took place. It could be out of the pain associated with it...it could be out of embarrassment or of the idea that that's a portion of our story that they would rather forget.

It doesn't matter what the reason is...the point is that as of 2012 we as a people are still being denied something that we are in a position to take care of for ourselves and aren't. Once you got a couple of hundred million in your bank account, there's really little that clear people can really tell you because money talks and BS walks. When will we become tired of the bS is the question??

 

[cherryblossom]

.....the point is that as of 2012 we as a people are still being denied something that we are in a position to take care of for ourselves and aren't. ....

What are we being "denied?!".....denied a MOVIE about slavery?!

All of those MOVIES you listed were based, in whole or part, on actual historical documents.

We shouldn't rely on anyone, Black people nor "Clear" people, to spoon-feed us our own history with a MOVIE that will not be entirely historically accurate anyway.

Teaching each other and our children is what we should do, not wait for a MOVIE to come out about it.

LIBRARIES are full of books, documents and old newspaper articles.

The INTERNET is an easily accessible source.

Books and slave narratives and documents of sales and manumissions can be found if only one would LOOK.

RESEARCHING one's own city and state's history with slavery is also a wealth of knowledge.

Every small town and big city has some home, school or other site which is listed as a NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK.---There is always a plague/marker identifying it as such.....Often, people pass right by these places and never pay any attention to them.-----Anyone can check for such sites in his/her own state and then do some research on it as it pertains to slavery. (Many have a history in slavery.)

http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/listsofnhls.htm

 

[Chevron Dove]

I have often asked myself why it is that we as a people in this land don't actually know the story of our enslavement? We saw Roots, Mandingo, The Amastad and maybe Goodby Uncle Tom and Beloved. Each of these were fragments of our reality from there to here but none were quite the whole story being that there are so many aspects to it. I could blame the clear people for a lot of this but I'm not.

There are even those of our own that I could blame but I don't know who and would love to know who. In my new book I was able to track down over 420 rebellions by our people in Afraka as well as in this Western hemisphere. I know that we have black film makers and producers who 9 times out of 10 with them being in that industry, they would know more concerning what movies were out there or are out there dealing with this subject.

I was quite amazed and some what troubled to find that there were over 65 movies made concerning slavery. That's right, 65!!! While I do not expect the clear people to try and show us anything concerning that reality, I am a little curious as to why those of our people who are producers and movie makers didn't expose us to any of them???

I have my own answers of why and that disturbs me also. I'm disturbed because I am now aware that there are stories that we were never told concerning slavery and I really do know why. You see, those who consider themselves to be the chocolate version of the clear people don't want to have anything to do with slavery at all and many of our people would really prefer to act as if that never took place. It could be out of the pain associated with it...it could be out of embarrassment or of the idea that that's a portion of our story that they would rather forget.

It doesn't matter what the reason is...the point is that as of 2012 we as a people are still being denied something that we are in a position to take care of for ourselves and aren't. Once you got a couple of hundred million in your bank account, there's really little that clear people can really tell you because money talks and BS walks. When will we become tired of the bS is the question??

I just bought a dvd a few months ago, a documentary on slavery but haven't looked at it yet. And then I think it was last year when I was travelling through Delaware and saw a dvd about a slave movie and was so shocked when i saw it because, it presented some information that I've not seen or read about in the particular format it was presented. It is called 'Night John' and I honestly believe this title has been altered and probably once was 'N366er John' and it was about a little slave girl who learned to read from Night John and helped others out, but because she was exposed, she was sold away. It was a heart rendering film. But you are so right, there are so many movies out there that have not been put out for us to see! I'm so shocked. I think there is so much more information out ther about slavery that has not been brought to our attention and it's frustrating to me too because, the information is so scattered and in so many formats, whether in the form of movies, or library books, or documents now put on the internet, or etc., it's so scattered. You are so right in that none presents quite the whole story and the information is so fragmented.

So who do we blame? I'm perplexed about this too, but all in all, It is the government workers and I believe that this fragmented information is due to the people that operated a long time ago to hide certain issues deliberately.