BlacKkKlansman
By Cheryl A Rainey, Contributing Writer
For a fun or relaxing afternoon, I don’t turn to A Spike Lee Joint. Despite being among my favorite movies, Malcolm X, along with School Dazeand Do the Right Thingleave me gloomy and disillusioned. Adding the recent physical attacks on Blacks by whites, I was not feeling a movie about Klansmen. Besides, the promos looked like Eddie Griffin’s Undercover Brother. I did, however, go see the movie.
Well-written, well-acted, and believable, BlacKkKlansmanhad me so caught up that I almost forgot the subject matter. I watched Ron Stallworth’s true story twice, on consecutive days, enjoying it more (if one can enjoy such a movie) the second time around. The second time, uncomfortable laughs couldn’t be contained, noting Asians and whites near me laughed at different scenes, while at times all sat in hear-a-pin-drop silence.
Scenes from Gone with the Windand Birth of a Nationwere the backdrop for the Klan’s hatred and growth. Brother Neely Fuller states white supremacy is the world’s number one religion and there’s nowhere it doesn’t prevail. Whiteness is their god. Klansmen in the movie confirmed this.
Despite portrayals, Klansmen are not all dimwits and misfits. Two members worked in NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command), possessing America’s highest security clearance. Grand Wizard David Duke, whom Stallworth spoke to over the phone, campaigned from state representative to president. Several infiltrated Klansmen were active military. Blue code was in full effect in the Denver Police Department.
Blacks were portrayed in a positive light. Initially questioning Stallworth’s undercover activities, I’m happy to learn his and Patrice’s relationship was fictional. It would not have been cool for him to use a sistah like that. I wanted to throw my fist up and yell “umgawa Black power” or “all power to all people. The music and dancing at the club brought much-needed emotional release.
Afterward, I asked a group of five, 15-year-old girls what they thought of the movie. Upsetting! While aware of racism, seeing it cold and bare was unsettling. Particularly disturbing was the character of Connie, the wife of Klansman Felix. Each recognized the acceptance of her husband’s disrespect and devaluing. Connie’s character gives a clue as to why white women support Trump. Whiteness is Connie’s trump card. Her link to Felix was their hatred of Blacks. She was excited about killing Blacks. This in common was all they needed.
BlacKkKlansmanequals The Black Pantherin significance to Black people. Black Panthershows us powerful and in control. BlacKkKlansmanexposes how much at war the system of racism white supremacy is with Blacks. Survival requires the merging of these elements.
As the movie ends, Harry Belafonte recounts lynching’s carnival atmosphere and photographs turned postcards. BlacKkKlansman’s final scenes of Charlottesville’s 2017 white supremacy march are haunting and alarming; the mowing down of Heather Heyer; and “Jews will not replace us.” My hope is that we acknowledge the truth about racism in this country. It’s our only hope of survival.
Cheryl A. Rainey is a Chicago-based entrepreneur, writer, speaker, and presenter. She attends St. Stephen AME Church. She can be followed on Facebook at Cheryl A. Rainey.
