I arose this morning blessed to see that the movie "The Help" has made it from the big screen in theaters to the small screen in our homes. I completely adored the movie when I was able to finally see it the first time in a movie theater at Mainstreet Disney in Orlando, Florida. (My first effort to see the movie in Tuscaloosa, Alabama was tainted with horrific memories from that evening.)
As I watched the movie for the 2nd and a half time this morning, my mind couldn't help but think how eerily familiar the hatred and evil doings of white folks to black folks in the 1960s are to the activities of certain folks today with the coming of a black man ascending to the presidential oval office in the "White" House. (hmmmmmm) I can't help but wonder, in honor and with respect to the late Rodney King, why can't we all just get along!?
It is so disheartening how cruel, conniving, conspiring, and crazy we can be towards each other simply because our skin colors come in all shades. I watched the evilness of Ms. Hillie against Ms. Minnie, Yule Mae and Aibeleen just because they were the "colored help." But then, I noticed that she would turn on "her own" (like Skeeter and Mrs. Celia Foote) if they were a threat to her own well-being while keeping "in control" allies such as Ms. Elizabeth. Things haven't changed much in both races.
The sad thing about black people in some regions of our country is that we have adopted the "Ms. Hillie mode of mingling and maneuvering." We make strong attempts to "control" our own, and when they can't be controlled by us, we turn on them and sell them out for our own personal and self-gain. If we're not careful, we will end up victims of tasting one of Ms. Minnie's special chocolate pies made with "the terrible awful" mixed in it and be stuck with the struggle of how not to let it be known that we did, even though there is published anonymous documentation suggesting that we did.
The early 1960s were a heartless, hard and terrible time in our country and I hurt just to think about and notice alot of the similarities greeting us again in the 2010s; 50 years later!! What shall we do? Where shall we go? What do we say? I suggest the following:
1. Trust! The true tool for triumph in the 1960s civil rights movement was the ability to constantly and consistently trust in the Lord!! God is able to do all things and make all things right. And when we can't figure out what to do in our situations or with our situations, when things don't make sense to us, trust God that He knows all and will see us through it all!
2. Talk! For some reason whenever I/we speak of these types of issues, some "people of color" would rather nothing be said at all. But I believe, in our talking we can be educated; educated concerning the opinions and feelings of others and educated concerning the self-worth of ourselves. There is great truth to Aibeleen's creed to the small children she raised! Don't worry about the bad English or grammar, just receive the message and keep telling yourselves: "We is kind. We is smart! We is important!"
3. Turn! The "turning" here is twofold and Biblical. The Bible teaches us to "turn the other cheek" and "turn from our wicked ways." Both lessons teach us we have to learn how to fix ourselves in order to be able to stand within the face of wickedness and wicked, ignorant people. The term "turn" isn't a suggestion just to walk away (although that may be feasible at times), but "turn" is telling us to turn into what we should be and what we should do so that we can be influential in causing positive "turns" to occur within our communities and our country.
(wow... this almost sounds like a sermon... hmmmm.... if only I had a text ;-) )
