Historical
Saw “Detroit”.
Where are the strong Black Mothers of Detroit?
It made me sad, angry and just plain gutted me emotionally.
I am not recommending this film and here’s why…
Of the 3 audience questions taken…
I got to ask “the elephant in the room” question which I directed to Kathryn Bigalow.
I said I was a mother and from Detroit and spoke to my mom about this film and had only fond memories of strong black women from Detroit and my mom mirrored that in her retelling of her experience as a 15 yr old in the heart of this unrest, thus I concluded…
“Why was the Black Mother’s perspective negated from this film?”
Of course, it being a predominately Caucasian audience, you could hear a pin drop or a flea sneeze.
After earlier telling us that she wanted to trace what led to these events and the unrest that had stewed far before 1967 (with her intro) she now responded to me by saying, she was trouble that she could not find a worthy victim and stuck to the facts. This is the lamest and most offensive response ever!
-Darn Kathryn…Why? –
There were several Black mothers in Detroit in 1967.
First off before I get into this…
#Detroit was and is a BEAUTIFUL place to have grown up in and live.
Secondly,
#BlackMothers like RebeccaPollard who was shell shock at the acquittal verdict of the killing of her son Aubrey were affected and have just as many valid and emotional perspectives as Black Men, White Men and White Women.
I am severely disappointed that a female director who I respect #KathrynBigalow did not demand and understand the necessity of a black Detroit mother’s fear and grief as a VERY real reminder of the past slavery and foreshadowing of BLM and #MotherOfTheMovement as a paramount aspect to this aspect of Black History in this and ALL Detroit Riots.
#WomenOfHollywood stop negating the Black Female perspective in our stories #CivilWar #TheBeguilded #DetroitRaceRiotsOf1967 #Detroit
Then the Cherry on top, was when she told us that the Michigan state film incentive for Productions had ended during this production, so they cut off shooting in Detroit (and sharing revenue with the place whose story they exploited) and headed to Boston to complete the pic.
I can’t tell you how much the last few week’s film news and screenings have saddened me from The Beguiled to Confederate to Detroit. But it also spurs me on. As Dr. Robin Means-Coleman (writer of Horror Noire) told me as I interviewed her for #MyFinalGirl
“If you don’t tell your/our stories who will?”
No truer words resonate in my mind right now.