Alexa Lexie | When They See Us || I dream, I smile. I walk, I cry. @AlexaLexie | Uploaded 4 years ago | Updated 5 hours ago
Petitions, donations, and resources - blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
Thread of petitions that haven't met their goals yet - twitter.com/Iostfocus/status/1268927046438268929
To those who don’t say black lives matter and say "all lives matter" instead, or just simply don’t exactly understand the BLM movement and its combat against racial injustice in the world, especially in America, I highly suggest that you watch this series. It gives you insight. This show, "When They See Us," is based on a true story, called the Central Park Five. Five black teenagers were prosecuted in 1989 on charges of sexually assaulting a white woman in Central Park. It shows how these kids were treated by police and manipulated to confess to the assault they didn't commit. They were wrongfully accused and faced jail time, despite the fact that there was no scientific evidence to prove they committed the crime. Though I highly recommend the series, I warn you that it is not an easy watch. Had to take breaks from it. Immensely disheartening what they did to these boys and what they went through because of it.
I also tried to get this out on blackout Tuesday, in support of black artists, but school kind of got in the way.
The show, "When They See Us," was directed by Ava DuVernay, who also directed the film "Selma" and "13th," which can be watched on Netflix. She also directed "A Wrinkle in Time," that came to theaters in 2018. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award. She is a writer, director, producer, and distributor of independent film. I cannot talk highly enough about her series "When They See Us." Just everything about it was remarkable. It blew me away. It enraged me, it moved me, it made me cry. Just wow. I have yet to see more amazing works from Ava. She is an extremely talented filmmaker!!
The song is "I Won't Complain," by Benjamin Clementine, another extremely talented black artist I wanted to shed light on. You may have heard one of his works, in Nathan Chen's ice skating performance at the Olympics. The song Nathen used was "Nemesis," another song I definitely recommend. I absolutely love his music. I have a whole youtube playlist dedicated to him. He's inspiring. There's something ancient about him, his passionate voice. You can tell that he deeply cares about his craft. I just have the utmost respect for him. There is a video where he performed at a fashion show, and I always return to watch it every once in awhile. I guarantee you, you won't pay any attention at all to the fashion because he steals the show.
I'll put the link to the video here -
youtube.com/watch?v=HZSZEFUMpz4&list=PLjOZ4MeF9QhwbMS8Ape63nuKaV4X_a6XP&index=2&t=0s
I am going to try to word this in the best way possible, but the song, the way I interpret it, symbolizes the irony of the American dream, the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. This privilege, this dream, is robbed from minorities, and certainly not reserved for black lives in America. They tell people who are complaining about the unjust system to shut up and get out of the country if they don’t like it. That isn't the right way to go about it. Just one of the major issues America faces is racial injustice, and moving out of the country is not going to help in any way. Racial injustice is everywhere. It's not going to just magically disappear once you move out of the United States.
There was the part where Kevin sits alone in the street. This part is shown after they hear the verdict is guilty. He lifts his trumpet to play, but the sounds of the trumpet is strained, drowned out. He wanted to become a trumpet player. Korey aspired to be a famous baseball player. They all had dreams, and all their aspirations were stripped from them, all because they were at the park that very night. Wrongfully prosecuted and faced jail time because of the color of their skin. We need to support and protect the black youth, their dreams, their aspirations. We need to support and protect their lives. Don't say "all lives matter," instead of black lives matter. Those who say that are missing the entire point. All lives matter, yes of course. But not until black lives matter. And that, without out a DOUBT, includes black transgender lives!!
Thank you for watching, and please contribute to the cause in any way you can. Even if you can't afford to donate, sign petitions. Educate yourself on systemic racism. Start conversations in your households. Change minds. And even if your only contribution is changing the mindset of a friend, or maybe it's your parents mindsets or your grandparents', that is contributing to the change. After all, this is only the beginning :)
#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #WhenTheySeeUs
Petitions, donations, and resources - blacklivesmatters.carrd.co
Thread of petitions that haven't met their goals yet - twitter.com/Iostfocus/status/1268927046438268929
To those who don’t say black lives matter and say "all lives matter" instead, or just simply don’t exactly understand the BLM movement and its combat against racial injustice in the world, especially in America, I highly suggest that you watch this series. It gives you insight. This show, "When They See Us," is based on a true story, called the Central Park Five. Five black teenagers were prosecuted in 1989 on charges of sexually assaulting a white woman in Central Park. It shows how these kids were treated by police and manipulated to confess to the assault they didn't commit. They were wrongfully accused and faced jail time, despite the fact that there was no scientific evidence to prove they committed the crime. Though I highly recommend the series, I warn you that it is not an easy watch. Had to take breaks from it. Immensely disheartening what they did to these boys and what they went through because of it.
I also tried to get this out on blackout Tuesday, in support of black artists, but school kind of got in the way.
The show, "When They See Us," was directed by Ava DuVernay, who also directed the film "Selma" and "13th," which can be watched on Netflix. She also directed "A Wrinkle in Time," that came to theaters in 2018. She won the directing award in the U.S. dramatic competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for her second feature film Middle of Nowhere, becoming the first black woman to win the award. She is a writer, director, producer, and distributor of independent film. I cannot talk highly enough about her series "When They See Us." Just everything about it was remarkable. It blew me away. It enraged me, it moved me, it made me cry. Just wow. I have yet to see more amazing works from Ava. She is an extremely talented filmmaker!!
The song is "I Won't Complain," by Benjamin Clementine, another extremely talented black artist I wanted to shed light on. You may have heard one of his works, in Nathan Chen's ice skating performance at the Olympics. The song Nathen used was "Nemesis," another song I definitely recommend. I absolutely love his music. I have a whole youtube playlist dedicated to him. He's inspiring. There's something ancient about him, his passionate voice. You can tell that he deeply cares about his craft. I just have the utmost respect for him. There is a video where he performed at a fashion show, and I always return to watch it every once in awhile. I guarantee you, you won't pay any attention at all to the fashion because he steals the show.
I'll put the link to the video here -
youtube.com/watch?v=HZSZEFUMpz4&list=PLjOZ4MeF9QhwbMS8Ape63nuKaV4X_a6XP&index=2&t=0s
I am going to try to word this in the best way possible, but the song, the way I interpret it, symbolizes the irony of the American dream, the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. This privilege, this dream, is robbed from minorities, and certainly not reserved for black lives in America. They tell people who are complaining about the unjust system to shut up and get out of the country if they don’t like it. That isn't the right way to go about it. Just one of the major issues America faces is racial injustice, and moving out of the country is not going to help in any way. Racial injustice is everywhere. It's not going to just magically disappear once you move out of the United States.
There was the part where Kevin sits alone in the street. This part is shown after they hear the verdict is guilty. He lifts his trumpet to play, but the sounds of the trumpet is strained, drowned out. He wanted to become a trumpet player. Korey aspired to be a famous baseball player. They all had dreams, and all their aspirations were stripped from them, all because they were at the park that very night. Wrongfully prosecuted and faced jail time because of the color of their skin. We need to support and protect the black youth, their dreams, their aspirations. We need to support and protect their lives. Don't say "all lives matter," instead of black lives matter. Those who say that are missing the entire point. All lives matter, yes of course. But not until black lives matter. And that, without out a DOUBT, includes black transgender lives!!
Thank you for watching, and please contribute to the cause in any way you can. Even if you can't afford to donate, sign petitions. Educate yourself on systemic racism. Start conversations in your households. Change minds. And even if your only contribution is changing the mindset of a friend, or maybe it's your parents mindsets or your grandparents', that is contributing to the change. After all, this is only the beginning :)
#BlackLivesMatter #BLM #WhenTheySeeUs
