In his blog I use two films to frame the current debate about curriculum focused on Critical Race Theory (CRT) for K-12 education in America, and how this potential curriculum is creating debates that are both highlighting and diverting attention to the bigger problem for American education: « Why is this opportunity for curriculum expansion and inclusion creating so much preoccupation, fear, and anger in America? » The rest of the world IS watching. My movie blogs discuss race, gender, and class representations in popular movies. The movies I choose to blog about have been released in traditional theaters and venues. Areas of race, gender, and class in American culture are considered « identities » that individuals have in a social world. Discussions of identity are very complex. Specific topics must be explored when discussing how people identify. An example of this is Disability. Are all disabled people alike? No, they come from different races, genders, and classes. How disability is « represented » by one disabled person is « different » than how disability is represented on another person. America’s culture has changed since the country was founded. Many changes occurred through both battles and movements. The bloodiest event with the most casualties in America lost was during the Civil War. This war was fought because America industrialized in the North and the South remained agrarian and dependent on the labor of enslaved West Africans and thier diaspora (History.com, National Geographic). Abolitionists from the North and South spreading industry Westward were opposed to slave ownership, while Southerners moving to the West did not want slavery abolished, fearing thier large-scale agrarian farm economy would not survive without slave ownership and labor. A growing industrialized North with new technologies of travel, communication, weaponry, and production gave America the tools for a modernized and united country under the new president Abraham Lincoln. After Lincoln’s election in 1860, the American states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Texas seceded from a « United » States. The Civil War began in 1861 and formally ended in August 1866. Fast forward to today where America is situated in a global economy, in postcolonial times where our leaders meet and negotiate trade terms with countries like Mexico, Canada and China. America’s competitors in food export markets include India, Brazil, and China (Investopedia.com), and in 2021 twenty-one states want discussions of race theory banned in K-12 curriculum including Louisiana, South Carolina and Texas? States challenging the removal of confederate statues to install more modern representions of today’s servicemen and statesmen include Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi?
In 1996, an academic anthropologist wrote a book titled Call To Home about third-generation Black Americans who returned to the rural south of America where thier ancestors once lived. In this extended blog piece I look at two recent television and film offerings from 2020 (Lovecraft Country and Antebellum), that reflect the continued violent resistance to the change that has occurred over the 155 years since the Civil War (one and a half centennials ago). A war that left the bloodiest stain on America’s historical carpet and to this day is still glorified through remaining statues of Confederate icons who supported human trafficking/slave ownership. I also discuss two online movie reviews about the film Antebellum that highlighted to me the very need for critical race theory in some standardized and inclusive form for K-12 education. In Lovecraft Country (2020), a yet to be born author has a generational connection to his father Atticus, a Black Korean War Veteran who returns to 1950’s Chicago; and his mother Leticia, a Black female photographer who grew up in the same neighborhood together. Atticus (Tic) and Leticia (Leti) leave Chicago along with Tic’s uncle Montrose to travel to the fictitional town in Massachusetts called Ardham, where Tic seeks out his father who he believed dead, but finds out is alive after reading a note his father left him. Tic, Leti and Montrose journey from Chicago to Massachusetts during 1950’s segregtion (the enforcement of Jim Crow Laws and the threat of lynching). Lovecraft Country is a series conceived with the literary application of H.P. Lovecraft’s fantasy world of creatures and the occult. Lovecraft developed a fictional town called Ardham which mirrored the real city of Oakham Massachusetts. Lovecraft came from wealthy beginnings but died in poverty at the age of 46 in Rhode Island. His most famous works included Wierd Tales, where he writes about Ardham and Dunwich Massachusetts. During 1914-1916 (when Jim Crow Laws were still in effect), Lovecraft became chairman of the Department of Public Criticism of the United Amatuers Press Association (UAPA) in Chicago. In this position he advocated the superiority of the English language and the « bastardization » of English by national immigrants. He later became vice president and later president of the UAPA. Lovecraft Country the series is based on the book by Matt Ruff who uses the genre of magical realism, drawing on H.P. Lovecraft’s creatures to metaphorically represent racism and magically represent Tic’s ancestral power. The viewer learns that Tic is a character from the ancestral diaspora of a slave owned by Titus Braithwhite, a slave trader and leader of a secret occult society called the Sons of Adam. Tic navigates two worlds from his ancestral mixed race and learns he is descendent from slave rape. He, Leti and Montrose meet Tic’s White cousin Christina Braithwhite. Christina helps Tic’s friends avoid a possible lynching as they drive to Ardham just as sunset approaches (Jim Crow Laws state no Blacks in certain counties out after sundown), but later lies to the group, imprisoning them in thier rooms while setting up Tic for a sacrifice to the Sons of Adam. Tic and group are saved by his ancestral spirit who appears to him before guiding him out of danger, then burning down Titus Braithwhite’s lodge. This is the second episode titled Whitey’s On The Moon. This episode’s visual imagery reconciles a historical gap of information about Jim Crow Laws, behaviors dictated or exploited during Jim Crow Laws, mixed race representations, slavery, the experience of Black veterans returning to America after service in the Korean War, and the discourse of immigration and English superiority by authors like H.P. Lovecraft who held privileged positions of power during the Jim Crow period of segregation in America. Episode 8 titled Jig-a-Bobo reenacts one of the historic events that led to the Civil Rights Movement in America: Fourteen year-old Emmett Till’s open casket funeral in 1955 at Robert’s Temple Church of God in Chicago, Illinois. After Emmet Till left Chicago to visit family in Mississippi, he was accused of flirting with a White 21 year-old grocery clerk. Night raiders abducted Emmett, beat him, mutilated his body, shot him in his head, and dumped his body in the Tallahatchie River. Emmett Till’s mother decided to hold an open casket funeral that revealed Emmett’s 14 year-old bloated mutilated body to a public that came from miles around to view the open casket. Fifty thousand people viewed the open casket while newspapers, magazines, and journalists reported on the funeral, raising viewership to hundreds of thousands. In the episode, Diana (Tic’s little sister), wanders off alone when she is cornered by two policemen under the influence of Christina Braithwhite’s magic. They profile and harass Diana (a metaphor for molestation), then place a hex spell on her where she is left hallucinating two malevolent spirits named Topsy and Bobsy (thier images are taken from the original and racist representational renderings in the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe). Topsy and Bobsy follow and plague Diana’s every waking moment, driving her mad. Diana falls ill. Lovecraft Country is a rich series that reenacts historical events and gives us a representation of history relevant to events occurring today (Tic’s mixed race ancestry and legitimacy is reminiscent of current controversies for high profile mixed marriages in the news). Lovecraft country speaks to representations where our modern postcolonial ‘objectivity lies’ (I was reminded of the opinions about Critical Race Theory by Tim Scott the republican South Carolina senator and Ben Carson, former HUD Director under President Trump on Fox Business Line narrated by Kudlow. Ben Carson blames Critical Race Theory and associated curriculum for « telling White children they and thier ancestors are responsible for all the evils of the world, and your Black children can’t make it »). No Mr. Carson, I think 100,000 viewers including children at a bloated mutilated 14 year-old’s open casket funeral will speak for itself about « responsibilty for all the evils of the world ». Critical race theorists didn’t create that. You shouldn’t enable it by silencing inclusive theory that is critical of violence to children. Opinions like Scott’s and Carson’s about critical theory and critical theorists who highlight diverse representations of historical events, only serve to distract and divide America and lessen America’s integrity as a country to the global community. Opinions like Scott’s and Carson’s are based on an economic imaginary that every geographical area in America gives children the same economic opportunity for economic success (fair market opportunity), making racism a thing of America’s past. The film Antebellum broaches the subject of reenactments, specifically Civil War Reenactments, as economically differentiated by access and pricing , yet mandatory for some students to attend as K-12 social studies curriculum. Antebellum (2020), is the story of an author, Veronica Henley, who wrote a book that employs critical race theory in her literature. On her book tour, Veronica discusses her book Shedding The Coping Persona: The Metamorphosis Of A Revolution. Veronica is a sociologist and activist, and her book is on the New York Times bestseller list. The film opens with Veronica on an antebellum slave plantation before she is beaten, raped, silenced, then given the instruction to say her name Eden which is given to her by her White master. I’m going to stop here to highlight two online reviews that give voice to my agreement that the first scenes of the film were harsh to watch and uneasy view of the reenactment of violence experienced by West African born Black women unfortunate enough to be born during the slave trade, caught, and enslaved on a Southern plantation during antebellum times (and any women unfortunate to be caught into modern day human trafficking/slavery today). Watching this suffering and violence, I felt complicit in thier abuse and wanted to ‘cut and run’ from this film before I would also become complicit fetishizing the violence on the screen if I stayed watching. I stayed after realizing this was the point of first shocking the audience, and later the film explained why this representation was there. The following are the reviews. YouTube Channel Pay or Wait and film critic Shorronda Williams (44.5 K subscribers and 129,239 views) titled her review Antebellum Movie Review-A HOT MESS. Here are her points: 1) Enjoyed the costume design; 2) Vague about the « twist »; 3) The rape and torture was « unneccessary’; and 4) why is she in this situation…want to know more about her [Veronica]. Superreviewer Mark B. on RottonTomatoes.com had this to say, « Antebellum is a tough movie to watch and review. It’s depiction of slavery is brutal, but the twist that brings it into genre [horror] territory is badly timed and ultimately dissappointing. » Both reviewers comment on the representation of slavery as « unneccessary », « brutal », and « tough to watch ». Yes, it was, and the purpose of that specific violence, slavery violence was to remind the audience of what is missing from America’s historical memory of the antebellum period. Historical imaginary is the recollection of historical events based on primary artifacts legitimized as « real », « actual », « verifiable » above other diverse sources. Artifacts are objects that leave gaps in history timelines and all we get is a partial picture. When historical gaps occur, a historical imaginary occurs, filling in the gaps with a discourse legitimized by the structural powers in our culture that create a specific discourse: disability, business, history, medicine, art, leisure, that serves to represent reality in our culture. When these discourses are created, a historical memory is created. Historical memory is when groups of people (parents, students, audiences, etc.) identify with specific narratives about historical periods or events sometimes based on present circumstances, whether these narratives are based in fact or actual events. One example of this is the fascination with extraterrestrial aliens. Although there is no proof aliens exist, an entire industry is built on people’s historical memory of unexplained phenomenon and the narrative they do exist by ancient alien believers. Another example is the historical memory of Civil War battles as the romantic honor of battles, when in reality these battles were fought because America was divided over the subject of using humans as disposable objects of farming and indentured servitude, which included violence and mutilation of slaves. This romanticism has created an industry where Civil War « Hobbyiests » or Reenactors receive paychecks in the United States for anywhere between $17,790 to $39,410 in supplement to thier regular jobs. Parks such as the Gettysburg Foundation receive $35 for adults and $21 for youth ages 6-12 years old. Although K-12 curriculum for American History varies by state, Civil War Reenactments (CWR’s) are acceptable as credit for some lessons in most school districts. So, while reenactments (or curricular discussions) about race during antebellum times is off limits, making America’s parents and thier children pay different prices in different geographical locations in their country, for fulfilling history requirements is not: the economic concept of differentiated pricing by geographic battleground location makes your student a captive buyer and pads the pockets of moonlighters that may or may not have a professional teachers background. Parents and students can witness digital reenactments at any public library for free! However, if the parents can afford it and they want an amusement park experience of a CWR, here are some examples of price differentiation in different states: California Roaring Camp in Felton California charges $5 for admission which includes a reenactment. Virginia Winchester Park charges $12 for seniors and students ages 7-17. Law enforcement receives a special discount of $6 (yes, law enforcement pays half of what students pay which was confusing to me since they earn more money than K-12 students?). Antebellum continues after the beginning scenes, to tell the audience who Veronica Henley is in modern times. This juxtaposition of two worlds for Veronica precludes the « twist » as both reviewers termed it and is a device of the film to highlight the historical imaginary of amusement theme parked CWR’s for children and adults in America, only not all children and adults are amused by price differentiation and historical absence. What was it like for audiences to switch gears from thinking about iconic White American heroes like George Washington or Aaron Burr when paying money to see Black men, Black actors, representing these icons in the record-breaking musical Hamilton? What is it like for Black children to be required to attend a CWR for K-12 history credit when paying money to see White men, White actors representing Black and Mexican soldiers who fought in Civil War Battles (Glory 1989, Tejanos and Northern Mexican-Americans History.com)? To answer the movie reviewers question…Antebellum in in the horror genre, but the real horror is why they missed 1) Veronica was abducted in modern day America; 2) why our culture still reenacts a violent, bloody, exploitive,divisive time in our history as romanticized battles that leave out other representations and; 3) why women are still trafficked (enslaved) today? The viewer finds out that Veronical Henley has been abducted by traffickers disguised as CWR hobbiests who took her along with other Black professionals to a plantation setting hidden behind a CWR battlefield, where Veronical experiences minute by minute violence, silencing, and humiliation. She and others plan to escape and the opportunity arises when she hears a digital ringtone and is able to call out to her husband. A chase ensues as she makes it to the public parking lot of the battlefield park where the public is purchasing tickets. The film highlights Veronica’s captor’s decline from CWR hobbiests to criminals through thier four stages to criminality: 1) Reenacting past events; 2) Glorification of past events by representing it as more important than it is; 3) fetishism or developing an unreasonable attraction to something or someone; and 4) Criminality or illegal behavior. Given the responsibility of reenacting history for children, Veronica’s captors glorified the period by living thier every daily life as confederate soldiers, fetishizing Veronica and others as objects to control, and became human traffickers and murderers using government property to isolate themselves so they could violently abuse other Americans. After watching the film someone commented to me that Antebellum could never happen America. My answer to thier comment is the last section of this piece that is a description of actual CWR’s in America and some facts impacting the Critical Race Theory (CRT) debate in America (various sources 2021). There are three main areas that define and distinguish CWR’s from other historical reenactment sources in history: Who gets to reenact a CWR battle; CWR’s are not standardized as social studies curriculum; and CWR’s raise criticisms and concerns as curriculum. First, who gets to reenact the battles? The individuals who receive money for reenactments are classified as hobbiests although they also go by the name « living historians » and CWR Reenactors. Are they self funded? Most claim to be although, they receive a paycheck and most have other paid employment (like teaching, where they can write-off thier costumes and props). Reenactors travel out of the United States to reenact the Civil War in Canada, The U.K., Germany, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, and Poland. Women and children participate in some reenactments, but strict fundamental reenactment units will not admit any women to participate and participation is hierarchical (if an actor wants to join a CWR group but is new, the group decides what role they get). CWR’s are not standardized under federal education law because there are no national social studies standards about what topics or historical figures should be taught to students. States in America dictate what public school students learn. Currently, seven states do not directly mention slavery in state standards, and eight states do not mention the Civil Rights Movement. Because there is no federal standardized social studies curriculum, there can exist different ‘types’ of CWR’s. Public Event CWR’s can last 2-3 days and the focus is on the battle. Other activites at state parks where battlefields are located include living history activities the feature the life of a soldier (food, daily routines, etc.). Public Demonstrations of ‘Mock Battles’ vary and can be a demonstration during a public parade or other event. Scripted Battles are planned out and enacted on original battlegrounds. The next CWR category is worrisome to me because these reenactments border on the glorification of war and the accompanying violence associated with it due to their secrecy and immersion for authenticity. These CWR’s are closed to the public (read young students), and raise concerns about their need for secrecy? The film Antebellum (2020) was a critique of these specific CWR’s. Closed CWR’s include total immersion and mandate an extended period of time living like ‘actual’ soldiers. Participants are held to a high standard of ‘authenticity’. Most total immersion events are connected to the hobbiest group Events By Us and For Us or EBUFU. The last type of CWR’s are Tactical Battles which can be public or private. These are role playing game scenarios (akin to Cosplay), and are considered experimental archaeology. Third, there have been criticisms of CWR’s used as social studies and American History curriculum for students. One reenactment of the bloodiest battle in America’s history actually spilled blood in 1998. Known as ‘The Squib Incident’, a reenactor borrowed a handgun containing a bullet lodged halfway down the gun’s barrel. When the hobbiest who borrowed the gun fired, another hobbiest was wounded in the neck. the gun was found to have not been inspected before entering reenactment territory. There are criticisms of the lack of representation in the reenactments: underrepresentation of Black union soldiers; underrepresentation of other soldiers of color who fought on both the confederate and union sides; and underrepresentation of women on the battlefields. After the Militia Act of July 17, 1862, President Lincoln could employ Blacks to suppress rebellions. Although Lincoln did not directly enlist Blacks for engagement, Black men voluntarily started to form infantry units to fight for the union in New Orleans, Louisiana (Native Guard), Kansas, Missouri, South Carolina, and for the 54th Massachusetts as seen in the film Glory (1989). Mexican Americans living in California, Texas and New Mexico fought for both sides of the Civil War. Other Latin America diaspora also participated in battles. Women were present on the battlefield as both fighters and nurses. Another criticism which I previously discussed is that CWR’s employ paid actors who receive paychecks to call themselves living historians (teachers), but declare thier labor as a CWR actor as a hobby when tax filing. Not all CWR personnel are employed in schools as teachers, but many CWR’s who are teachers raise concern that as teachers they are double dipping and have an unfair advantage over other subject area teachers. The legitimacy of CWR employment as actual teaching professionals is questionable when CWR’s are not standardized curriculum (no set salary limits, no standard hours through the Department of Education, closed CWR’s to students). The last criticism focuses on the secrecy and need for some CWR’s to have closed total immersion events? It has been suggested that other forms of interacting with information and reenactment about Civil War battles should put the student in control through interactive digital multimedia availability at battlefield parks and public libraries. Any social studies credit for attending private pay but public park reenactments should be on a donation basis only. A few facts about the critical race curriculum debate. Twenty-one states introduced legislation to ban critical race theory including: Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennesee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconson (Thehill.com 6/9/21). Critical race theory is an academic framework centered on the idea racism is systemic. The theory holds that racial inequality is woven into legal systems and negatively effects people of color…(The Washington Post 5/29/2021). HB7608-The Environment, Military Construction, and Veteran’s Affairs Appropriations Act of 2021 was challenged by the following states for removal of confederate statues at Civil War battlefields. The states that have passed laws to prohibit removal of antiquated statues that represent figures from America’s divided and human trafficking/slave owning past are: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennesee, Virginia, and Texas. Of the original seven southern confederate states that seceded from America’s union after Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, three introduced legislation to ban critical race theory this past year and five challenged the removal of statues glorifying a divided America. South Carolina and Texas, since 1860, have consistenly voted against the removal of icons and symbols of a divided America and at a time when slave ownership was permitted. Currently, more than 700 confederate monuments remain in America while 168 confederate symbols were removed (Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery Alabama). There is an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 CWR reenactors employed today.
Next blog #43: TBA
Experience Movies 