Racism
Racism is a vice that the world continues to face despite years of social revolutions and innumerable legislations. Many legends such as Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks stood up against racism decades ago, but society continues to discriminate Africans and African-Americans. Film-makers have also used their platforms to tell stories about the heartbreaking effects of racism in the communities. Movies such as I Am Not Your Negro, Get Out, and When They See Us show moving stories of the real-life consequences of racism to people of color. Such discrimination by the police, who are supposed to protect and serve, aggravates the situation. For instance, on May 25th, 2020, a white police officer incessantly knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, despite his tear-jerking pleas to the police officer claiming he could not breathe. George Floyd eventually died from the excessive force used in detaining him by the police officer. Such incidences keep recurring in society, demonstrating how racism is deeply entrenched in society. This white paper argues that the movie I am not your Negro and the article You Have to Bend Your Knees demonstrates that racism is a vice deeply entrenched in the society and necessitates more stringent measures to grapple with it. The report further contends that the tailoring of Christian based policies would efficiently address racism and colorblindness in society.
The film I Am Not Your Negro premiered in 2016 and caused worldwide conversations about racism, especially against African-Americans. In 1979, James Baldwin commenced writing a book titled Remember This House that explained the lives of his close friends, Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr. He died in 1987 before completing the book. The book by James Baldwin formed the basis for the film I Am Not Your Negro. The film explains the struggles of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King, Jr in fighting for the freedom of African-Americans and their untimely and unfortunate assassinations. The film boldly narrates the uncomfortable truths that many white people fear hearing and confronting, and their unremitting attempts to recuse themselves from any oppression that black people encountered. The film further depicts some incidences of police brutality against people of color in the 1960s. The movie then juxtaposes the same to police brutality in the 21st Century. Thus, it is arguable that the film was a medium that conveyed the sad reality regarding police brutality, which is a vice that seriously ravages society.
Some policemen justify the excessive force used in detaining unarmed black men by claiming that many black men tend to be extremely violent whenever they encounter a police officer. Therefore, police officers use excessive force in protecting themselves from violent black men. This stereotypic perception has led to the deaths of many unarmed African-American men who showed no violence during their arrest. In the film, many unarmed and innocent African-American men sustained lethal injuries due to the police’s excessive force. The government should probably retrain the entire army to ensure the policemen learn the commensurate amount of energy to use while detaining any man despite the color of his skin.
Darrel’s article demonstrates the need to grapple with racism and color blindness from a Christian stance. Linda Darrell is a prolific scholar who boldly speaks out her mind, especially on issues surrounding racism against African-Americans. She recently published, Sometimes You Have to Bend Your Knees, based on her experiences as an African-American woman and her faith in God. In her article, Darrell uses the phrase bending one’s knee to mean turning to Christian values and principles in guiding the reaction against racism. In this context, bending a knee does not mean merely submitting and allowing things to move as they so please. Instead, it means taking a strong stance against such social ills by relying on God’s guidance in powerfully speaking against racial discrimination.
The depiction of Christianity in Linda Darrell’s article is flawed. The article advocates for a wholesome approach that does not consider any race superior to another but contradicts this very premise by elevating the Christian religion above all other religions. The author only inclines towards Christianity as the source of answers for the question of racism but fails to take into account the importance and influence of other religions in this struggle against racism. This biased perception in relying on the dominant religion to provide answers to racism while ignoring all other religions leaves out any black person who confesses other faiths other than Christianity. While her article proposes viable strategies to fight racism, she should expand her ideas to include other religions.
Darrell proposes the adoption of biblically-based ideologies in dealing with racism. Darrell indicates that on creation, God did not intend that man discriminates against his fellow men but instead, that men live in unity and love. She puts it that racism is a sin, and hence everyone should avoid harboring any thoughts that consider a particular race superior or inferior compared to other races. Consequently, she questions the basis of any disunity and discrimination, claiming that the same was never God’s intention (Darrell & Kelly, 2019). She proposes that humankind should bend their knees to God’s will and demonstrate unconditional and color blind love to their neighbors. This perspective, she claims, will ensure the annihilation of racism from society.
Derrell’s article and the movie’s commonality is their intention to depict the origin of racism to establish the most feasible way to address the issue. Arguably, conducting a root cause analysis encompasses defining the problem, gathering facts or data, determining the cause of the problem, and determining the feasible solution to the underlying problem. Similarly, the movie showcases the struggle by monumental leaders such as Malcom X in contending slavery issue in the society. They realized that African-Americans faced racism because the community still considered them slaves despite the important legislation and declarations that provided otherwise. In his famous speech, Martin Luther King announced to the entire world his dreams and aspirations where a black man will be equal to a white man. Linda Darrell points out that racism is a direct upshot of slavery. She indicates that the white population felt privileged and considered the black man inferior to themselves. Such inferiority justified their actions of forcefully removing black people from their native homes and shipping them to their countries where they provided cheap labor and built their towns and industries. Such detestable acts led to the emergence of the African-American population. Darrell presents a possible remedy to racism, which is grounded on Christianity. As such, the author avers that the majorities must acknowledge this undoing by their forefathers and seek forgiveness not only from God but also from black people.
Both the film and the article demonstrate the importance of Christianity to the African-American population. In the film, African-Americans depended on God as their source of hope and salvation. They viewed salvation as a much-needed source of hope and joy amid much sorrow and pain. Through slavery, they realized that they could never free themselves from their despots’ shackles. Therefore, they turned to God, hoping that He would save them from their martinets. Darrell introduces the concept of ‘bending one’s knee’ to mean turning and relying on God to deal with racism. She describes racism as a sin against God and suggested that addressing racism issue must involve a deliberate reliance on religiously inspired principles. She relies on Micah 6:8, where God commands all humankind to act in a just manner. Undeniable, racism is unjust since it denies African-Americans essential services and exposes them to hostility by their neighbors and, worse, by the police. Thus, the reliance on Christian doctrines would be a different approach yet a feasible approach that would yield desirable results against fighting racism.
I argue that political leaders are conferred a role in countering racism. The failure to address racism in both an efficient and outspoken fashion contributes to the marginalization of the individuals. Accordingly, it risks empowering the perpetrators of the racially inspired crimes a sense of power and impunity. For this reason, both the article and the film emphasize the role of political leaders in the fight against racism. Darrell alludes to a speech made by President Donald Trump, where he told African-American women who secured Congressional seats to “go back to where they came from.” Such a chauvinistic comment insulted both African-Americans and women. The freedom to make such inappropriate comments boldly indicates the institutionalized racism and misogyny in the community. Such political leaders command great audiences and following, and if they fearlessly make such racist comments, the community as a whole feels justified to discriminate against their neighbor. Indeed, the fish rots from the head. In the Film I am Not Your Negro, leaders of the civil rights movement such as Malcom X and Martin Luther King used their political influence to rally and stir their fellow black men to stand up against racism. In their widely read and heard speeches, they passionately inspired African-Americans to one day attain equality and freedom from racism if they push hard enough. Such political leaders used their positions of power to cause change and inspire their fellow African-Americans to stand up against racism. Both the film and the article exemplify the role of political leaders in the fight against racism.
A study of the movie I Am Not Your Negro and Linda Darrell’s article has revolutionized my understanding of racism. First, the film helped me understand the historical foundations of racism, informing the current social construction of racism. It was saddening to learn that vices such as police brutality that the community battled with many years ago still plague the community today. The film also helped me appreciate the role played by our forefathers in the struggle against racism. I was glad that the African-Americans were dissatisfied with the status quo and chose to take an active role in the fight against racism. I imagine that the situation would probably be worse if the civil rights movement leaders took a passive role and complied with the government’s directives, which oppressed them. Such aggression against racism inspired me to speak out in whatever platform I can about any societal ill that I witness. The article also pointed me to Christianity as the solution to racism. Also, it provides invaluable insights into how salvation can help in turning away people’s hearts towards God, which will then cause them to act justly and fairly to all men. Finally, I learned that everyone has a role to play in fighting racism. People should openly engage in dialogues that help in demystifying and exposing the social construction of racism. This dialogue will help in deconstructing society and rebuilding it, having eliminated any institutionalized racism