Tonight I saw a powerful, heartbreaking, myth crushing film at the Ambler Theater. 12 Years A Slave starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, is based on the true story and book written by Solomon Northup an African American freeman living in Saratoga NY, who in 1841 was kidnapped in Washington DC and sold as a slave. The book was published a year after Uncle Toms Cabin and 8 years before the start of the Civil War. Its difficult to watch,but Black desperation under White tyranny is such a critical part of American history that denial or sanitizing the evil of Black slavery should no longer be an option. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. This film exposes injustice and indignity in ways many of us have not seen. Thank God Mr Northup survived to tell his story to 21st century Americans.
Posted on: Mon, 04 Nov 2013 03:51:47 +0000