One of the early memories that I have regarding
television programming is the evening that a docudrama about Harriet Tubman was
aired. It was the first time that I had
the opportunity to see a black woman in the role of a shero.
The fact that a docudrama featuring a Black woman in the leading role was exceptional for the era especially since the imagery was entirely different than the negative stereotypes that were featured on the medium in its "Golden Years".
I remember sitting in our living room in front
of our floor model black and white television set totally immersed in the
story line about Harriet’s journey on the Underground Railroad as a conductor.
When the show ended my young mind totally embraced
that story. I remember spending quite a considerable amount of time pretending
to be Harriet and zipping around in our backyard leading enslaved people from
out of slavery. I felt very powerful and comforted by the idea that there was a
way out of bondage. It definitely generated a lot of buzz among my friends at school on Monday. We talked about Harriet's bravery in total awe of how she handled herself during that era.
That program aired during the era of time when the
daily news was all about the struggle for Civil Rights. All of the leadership
featured on the news was males. Watching
Harriet Tubman’s story was an empowering moment for me personally because she
was a woman of color who had the capability to make positive change in the
lives of our people.
While the video attempts to give Harriet modern
day attitude coupled with technology as a tool to fight enslavement I could not
find the humor in the idea.
One of the advantages of knowing Our Story is
the realities that women and girls faced in different eras of time. The type of
violence that occurred to enslaved women is not a laughing matter. The idea
that Harriet was willing to sacrifice her body in a sexual act in order to
blackmail the master does a grave injustice to the reality that enslaved black
women actually dealt with. Rape was not
an uncommon occurrence on plantations. Women and girls were often subjected to
physical violence as well.
I get it that the skit was meant to be a
contemporary comedic twist. But there is
also the Jezebel stereotype in that twisted narrative that makes me wanna
holla—stop this manner of disrespect immediately!
Russell Simmons has removed the video from his All Def Digital You
Tube Channel but there are still copies of the video available for viewing on
You Tube. There are also a lot of black people who have stood up in defense of
the skit because they see no harm in the content. That in itself is a problem
because it forwards the idea that black women have no sense of morals and that
our bodies are not held sacred by us.
Harriet Tubman’s image as a shero is reduced to being the stereotypical
Jezebel who leads an “upright” white male into a sexual situation.
However Simmons is not the only one who should
issue an apology for the video. The writers of the skit should also issue an
apology to black women for failing to consider the message that they were
sending in the content. Because Russell
is not the only individual who needs to get it about creating messages that not
only negate the truth about Harriet Tubman but also reinforce the Jezebel image
of black women.
What disturbs me even more is the fact that there
is another similar video that has been on You Tube for three years and has
managed to be under the radar until this incident occurred. This video is from
Second City TV. It not only features
Harriet as a light skinned sista gurl type of woman and a master who sings her
love songs. Ugh! I read some of the comments
about the content and found to my personal dismay that there were a lot of
black folks who also co-signed the content as good to go because it made them
laugh.
There will be people who will defend Simmons
first amendment rights and will try to declare that we need to stop being so
sensitive about our image and the message that is generated from negative
material.
But if we do not stand up and speak out not solely
to shame but also to educate people on why we were offended, who will do so on
our behalf?
Harriet Tubman has living descendants who have demanded an apology from Russell Simmons. I believe that this is in order since the video was totally disrespectful to her legacy.
Thank You sister for speaking out the truth concerning the willful and ignorant disrespect Russell Simmons and his crew have spit out!
ReplyDeleteThey actually have an, i don't give a damn and Wha? It's funny attitude about the whole thing. Folks true colors always rise to the top!