More On The Experiences Of Black Actors In Europe Versus Black Actors In The USA… Shadow and Act | Cinema of the African Diaspora

Ever wonder if the experience for black actors is universally the same, or different depending on where you live and which country you work in? Here's a post from Indiewire.com. Share your thoughts with me...

More On The Experiences Of Black Actors In Europe Versus Black Actors In The USA… Shadow and Act | Cinema of the African Diaspora

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There Is Dignity In All Work—Who Are We To Judge? - My commentary on THE HELP

I was fortunate enough to see three different screenings of the new film, The Help, last month. This is saying quite a lot because I don’t typically see any film twice, much less three times. I must say, I was affected by the film each time I saw it .

For those who have yet to see it, and, for the record, this entry is an encouragement to definitely see this film. The Help stars Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Emma Stone. There are also memorable performances from Bryce Dallas Howard (Ron Howard’s real life daughter), Sissy Spacek and Jessica Chastain. The story is set in 1960s Mississippi, the REAL south, where segregation, racism, discrimination and prejudice was the norm. It’s all about a girl named Eugenia a/k/a Skeeter, who comes home from college to a sick mother, a missing nanny and the goal to become a journalist. And, like any good journalist, she seeks to tell the untold stories. The Mississippi in which Skeeter, Aibileen (played by Viola Davis) and Minny (played by Octavia Spencer) live is not a place of free speech, independent thinking or career opportunities. It is in this setting that Skeeter and Aibileen conspire to tell the story of how the maids and nannies are mistreated by their employers in Mississippi. This conspiracy is met with full resistance and ridicule by all who know about it, partly because it goes against many of the laws of that state. Both women are well loved and respected by their counterparts. But they put it all on the line to tell this story.

Of course, they have two completely different reasons for creating this exposé. Skeeter wants to do groundbreaking work to prove herself to a big magazine publisher in New York. Aibileen wants to affect a change in the relationship between the white homeowners and their domestic employees. In the end, both women will win and both women will lose. But the story gets told, leaving the audience hopeful that things will change someday in Mississippi. We already know things changed immediately for Skeeter and Aibileen.


For me, the story has a hopeful ending, even though I am well aware of the 21st century racism that is still alive and well in Mississippi and throughout the United States of America. Skeeter gets to the bottom of what happened to her nanny (brilliant played by Cicely Tyson) while Aibileen finds her inner journalist/writer.

So I must say, as a form of commentary, that I am stunned by some of the responses I have seen posted on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. The bulk of the resistance is coming from black women, who believe that the story is written from a “Skeeter Saves The Day” point of view. That is not the way I see this film, at all, especially since there is no reference to “saving” anyone throughout the entire piece. Sure, Skeeter was the one who had a voice that could be heard; she definitely implemented a hard sell on Aibileen to initially get her to open up; and Minny is the victim of so many things that are stereotypically associated with being Black in America. But in the end, these women all saved themselves, and Skeeter’s book, also titled The Help, was certainly a catalyst to change, for those who embraced it. Because in the end, all of their voices were heard, loud and clear.


One of the most influential women in my life was my great grandmother, and she her entire work life was spent “helping” a southern white family. I remember seeing photos of the blonde, blue eyed kids that she cared for, wondering who they were and why their photos were on display. I always knew that, at some point in her life, she moved out to Santa Monica, California with this family (though I never knew how long she stayed there); that she left her baby daughter behind in order to move with this family (though I never asked why); and that by the time she returned to her daughter, who by then was a teenager living in New York under the care of her grown sister, their relationship was damaged (though I could never ascertain how badly).

By the third time I saw this film, I found myself wishing that I could have asked my great grandmother the same questions that Skeeter asked. I wonder what she felt, about her family and the family she cared for, still only known to us as “the family Grandmommy worked for.” Did it pain her to leave her own little girl, as it had pained Aibileen to leave her son? How did these people treat her? And what happened to make her leave and come back to her family? I guess I’ll never know at this point. But I will always respect her and those strong women of her time, who worked on their knees, endured long weeks with people who barely tolerated them and never complained.


To all of those naysayers who are offering their commentary based on family history of workers that looks a lot like the characters in this film, I say go see the movie, then pass judgment. At the end of the day, you will probably leave with a newfound respect for all of the women who came before us, what they sacrificed and who they really were as people. You will see them for the dignified, capable, faithful, steadfast, intelligent women that they all are. Viewers may even be compelled to re-examine their own lives and contributions to the community. But you will recognize that there is honor and dignity in a day’s honest work, which is exactly what these women, and the women you remember, did.

And to the cast of characters in The Help, I say “Bravo!” and I’ll be listening for your names on Oscar nomination morning.

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