#oppression

Nate Parker’s Film, Birth of a Nation, premiered this past Monday. He recently sat down and commented on the racism in this country and why he chose that film title.

“This is what I think: that we as artists have to understand that there is pervasive racism in Hollywood and in America, and we can either pick the weed, or we can roll up our sleeves and get our hands dirty and get into the root. Our problem, what we’re dealing with right now, is foundational. The business of Hollywood was built on the propaganda of D.W. Griffith and [1915’s] The Birth of a Nation. It was the very first feature film that played in the White House and it was an enormous success, yet it said one thing: Embrace white supremacy, and you will survive. That was his message. And America embraced it.

It was critical that I use this title. I wanted to put a spotlight on this film — what it did to America, what it did to our film industry, what it did to people of color with respect for domestic terrorism. There’s blood on that title, so I wanted to repurpose it. From now on, The Birth of a Nation is attached to Nat Turner, one of the bravest revolutionaries this country has ever seen.”
Post By @KingKwajo

The Haitian Revolution was one of the largest slave rebellions in history. Although it was not the first slave revolt to take place in what was then known as Saint Dominigue, it had one of the greatest impacts on society. The fighting began in August of 1791, but the desire for independence began long before. Fueled by the cruel and inhumane treatment by white slave owners, Slaves would call for a voodoo ceremony to prepare to TAKE their Freedom. During the ceremony, the slaves would call upon the voodoo warrior Spirit, Ogun, and leaders would be selected to lead the revolt. Now contrary to popular belief, Toussaint l’Overture would not be among the first leaders of the rebellion; he would come later. It would be a man named Boukman.

After the ceremony, over 10,000 slaves marched to battle and began killing their white oppressors. In a few short days, thousands of whites had been killed and the morale of the Black army was sky high. This battle would serve as the catalyst for the Haitian revolution and eventually over 500,000 slaves and Free Blacks would join the battle for Independence. For years this Black Army, now lead by Toussaint l’Overture and Jean-Jacques Dessalines, would fight and defend their land. They would defeat the French armies several times along with the English and Spanish. In 1803, Toussaint would eventually be captured and die in prison but the revolution would not end there. Dessalines would lead the blacks and defeat the French once again forcing them to leave the land for good.

On January 1, 1804, Jean-Jacques Dessalines declared the nation Independent and renamed it Haiti. Haiti would become the first black republic in the world and one of few nations to win its independence from a European power. Slavery was abolished and a constitution would be provided that granted rights to all Haitian people. Most of all, the Haitian Revolution provided the inspiration for nations, not just black, but all over the world to begin to fight for Freedom. Had it not been for this Black Allegiance, lands such as Dominican Republic would never have gained their Independence.
“The Only Thing Necessary for Evil to Prevail Is for Good Men to do Nothing.”
Written By @KingKwajo