I have to preface this "review," by saying that I only caught the last half-hour of Henry Louis Gates, Jr.'s latest documentary on PBS.
However, what I did see was what public television should be: thought provoking, well-researched, well-told and important to be told.
And while portions of the 30 minutes I did catch were very uplifting (I absolutely loved seeing Black folks start their own communities, businesses and churches during Reconstruction), I was still terribly troubled by the images of black men hanging in the center of town.
Gates, in my opinion, never disappoints, or fails to educate. The documentary touched on "Plessy v. Ferguson," and the interviews with African American scholars and historians, both Black and White, gave me hope that there are still academics who devote their lives' work to making sure African American history is researched, pursued and preserved with passion.
But, back to those men hanging in the town square.
Honestly, as much as I love this type of programming, I'm always angry, frustrated and mad as hell at what our people have had to endure. And continue to endure (lest we forget Trayvon Martin).
Still, it's important. And if the people who lived through these turbulent times could deal with it, I can certainly endure watching what they went through - the past should not be forgotten.
That said, I'm not sure I'm ready for "12 Years A Slave." I'm still having thoughts about "Django Unchained."
And, yes, I do plan to catch "Many Rivers to Cross" in its entirety.
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