Song of the day:
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Yesterday the country was mostly on holiday in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr., me included. His actual birthday was Sunday. He would have been 94. His daughter posted that she’d like to only see pictures of him in color to remind us all how recent the history really is.
Getty Images
I’ve posted before that I was alive when he was killed. Granted, I was only two months old but still…it happened in my lifetime, nearly 55 years ago. So yes, that’s recent history. It’s too bad that a lot of people haven’t learned much since then. We are still seeing far too many incidents of racism against Black people, far too many police (and others) still killing Black people, far too many systems that seem to be irreparably broken because those in power (aka, people who look like me) have no interest in changing them.
So how do we fix those broken systems? How do we stop the violence and the hate?
I think we start by educating ourselves, then educating others to the point that we can. We listen, we truly listen, to our Black friends and colleagues. We don’t make assumptions about what they’ve been through, what they’re going through. We hear them. And then we take action. We call out the racism when we see it, when we hear it. We work within the systems we live in to make them better, knowing that it may take years for some of them to turn in the right direction.
Descendant
Last night I watched the new Netflix documentary Descendant, and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting to learn. A brief summary: “Award-winning filmmaker Margaret Brown returns to her hometown of Mobile, Alabama, to document the search for and historic discovery of The Clotilda, the last known ship to arrive in the United States, illegally carrying 110 kidnapped Africans.” I’d heard about the ship when they found it but didn’t know the story, and had no idea there was a whole town outside of Mobile, Alabama filled with the descendants of the slaves on that ship. I lived in Mobile when I was a baby. I don’t remember it at all but I was there. This documentary is excellent, but it definitely made me sad and angry. It never occurred to me that most Black Americans have no idea of their ancestral roots because so much was lost when they were brought to this country. This kind of discovery helps connect the dots for an entire generation, and even though it’s a tragic and horrible story, I believe knowing the story and having the proof helps immensely.
Let me know if you watch the documentary…would love to know what you think.
TV Tuesday
I stayed home most of the long weekend because I wasn’t feeling all that great. So, I watched quite a bit of TV, including the documentary mentioned above. Here’s a brief summary:
National Treasure: Edge of History (Disney+): I loved the National Treasure movies and wasn’t sure about this show, but I got sucked in pretty quickly and am enjoying it greatly. It’s got a more YA slant to it, but it also has Catherine Zeta-Jones who is absolutely brilliant. If you liked the movies, you will probably like this.
We’re Here (HBO Max): My friend Travis had mentioned this show to me before, but I never watched it so after talking about it with him again over lunch on Saturday, I decided to dive in. And y’all? It’s really good. The basic premise is that three drag queens travel to small towns in America to connect with individuals in the queer community and their allies. They put on a drag show and include some of the locals. It’s one of the most empowering and powerful shows I’ve ever seen. I binged the entire first season and have started on season two (it’s in season three now). Now, it’s not for everyone, and there is some language that some of you might not love, but I think if you give it a chance, you might just like it.
They Call Me Magic (Apple TV+): This 4-part docuseries about Magic Johnson came out in 2022, but I never got around to watching it, which is weird since Magic is my all-time favorite NBA player. Yes, I love Michael, but Magic came first and will always be number one for me. And yes, that does mean I used to cheer for the Lakers. Way back when. I knew a lot about Magic’s life as I’d read his books and a million articles, but it was fun to revisit his career and what he’s done after basketball. I learned a lot about him that I didn’t know as well. If you like basketball, especially that era of the NBA, I think you’ll enjoy it.
The Way Home (Hallmark): This new series from Hallmark is a multi-generational drama about a daughter who returns home after her marriage breaks up, she loses her job and her daughter gets expelled. And that’s just in the first 15 minutes of episode one! Andie McDowell plays the grandmother and she is always fabulous, but the twist of it all is a pond that transports the the granddaughter back in time where she meets her mom and grandmother before everything in their lives fell apart. I like it so far and will definitely keep watching.
I also watched the latest Hallmark move, The Wedding Veil Inspirations, and it was great. I just love this series of movies and hope there are more!
I feel like there’s something else I watched over the weekend, but I guess it wasn’t all that great or I’d remember what it was!
Video of the day: