She was a poet, an author, a dancer, a newspaper editor, a college professor and an American icon. Maya Angelou passed away last week and she leaves us as one of the most accomplished writers and titans of literature of her time.
Her book, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, was an autobiographical feature that touched the heart of millions. In addition to her literary works, Maya Angelou also left behind a film legacy. According to her biography website, she appeared in Alex Haley’s “Roots” in 1977 and John Singleton’s “Poetic Justice” in 1993. She directed her first feature film “Down In The Delta” in 1996. Dr. Angelou will certainly be missed.
In a unanimous decision on May 17th, 1964, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was illegal. With that one ruling, the walls of segregation in America began to crack, and about 10 years later, crumble.
Brown v. Board launched the career of Thurgood Marshall and for the first time ever made it a requirement that minority students have access to the same books and facilities as white students. You better believe there was resistance. There were threats against black students who went on to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, and those students became known as the Little Rock Nine. In 1960 there was the story of a 6-year-old girl who was subject to vicious taunts and threats from adults while being the only student in the classroom for nearly a year as she desegregated the New Orleans school district. Her name, was Ruby Bridges.
Boxer and activist Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter passed away last month, and thanks to a memorable film, his story will continue to live on.
Carter spent his formative years being raised in Paterson, New Jersey, and getting into his fair share of trouble. He was an up and coming boxer whose life took a turn for the worst when he along with his friend John Artis, were charged with three murders both denied they committed. Both were found guilty. Carter would serve 19 years in prison before being freed in 1985.
14 years later, Rubin ‘Hurricane’ Carter’s story gained new-found recognition with the release of the film “The Hurricane.” Carter was portrayed brilliantly by Denzel Washington. Here’s the trailer below.
The real story, the universal story, is that we all stand on a pair of shoulders. We are, all of us, the sum of our influences. We’ve all been taken by the hand and led to a better, more purposeful place.
There are some things in life that no matter how much time passes, they simply cannot be forgotten for the pain is still too much to bear. The 1994 Rwandan Genocide is one of those things.
What began in April 1994, 20 years later still seems inconceivable. More than 800,000 men, women, and children were killed in a period lasting about 100 days. The stories are almost as unbelievable as the numbers. Husbands murdered their wives. Former co-workers attacking each other. Hundreds of people barricaded themselves in a church hoping and praying the militia would not be able to break through. Sadly, they were wrong. People recall entrusting their neighbors to look after their families, only to find out some of the very people they trusted to watch over their loved ones were responsible for their deaths.
The genocide was perpetrated by Hutu extremists. In Rwanda, there were to main groups of people: the Hutus and Tutsis. Though the Tutsis were the minority group making up about 15% of the population, it was they who received the preferential treatment from the Belgians who bestowed upon them favorable status and leadership positions. This is where the resentment began to build. When the bent up frustrations spilled over years later, no one could predict how deadly the results would be.
In midst of the killings however, one story emerged from the rest.
In April of 1994, just as the Rwandan Genocide was about to be underway, Paul Rusesabagina was the manager of the Hotel Des Mille Collines at the time. As the genocide erupted, Rusesabagina would house more than a thousand Tutsis from Hutu militia. 10 years later Rusesabagina’s story would play out on the big screen in the film “Hotel Rwanda,” where Rusesabagina is portrayed by Don Cheadle. It’s an incredibly powerful film and one that makes it hard to watch while maintaining a dry eye.
There aren’t enough apologies the international community can give to the people and victims of the Rwandan Genocide. If there is any solace from this horrific event, it is that today, 20 years later, Rwanda has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa and has more women in it’s government than any other nation in the world. Time may not be able to heal all wounds, but it can teach us some valuable lessons about forgiveness and moving forward.
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