March 2021 [][][] I didn’t see the film Harriet starring Cynthia Erivo when it first came out, but I did see it. Not a boycott ... just late as all hell. Back before I realized that #ADOS was trash, I allowed the noise chorus to influence me that it was no big deal to see this film. More than the trash about Erivo being Black British and her having said offensive remarks about NuAfrikans*, I allowed the cacophony of #blackmaletears to overload my senses. The concern about a “fictitious Black male brute of a slave catcher invented for this film, only to be killed in the end by Harriet’s former master thus positioning himself as a sort of white savior,” is how the story went. I should have known betta. I do now, and I promise to do betta from here on out. Now that I have seen it, here are my thoughts.
I hadn’t planned on this happening, but in this film I saw several positive portrayals of Black men, at least five:
Former slave-catcher-in-training, portrayed by Henry Hunter Hall. All the noise and fuss, all the whoopin’ and hollerin’ and cryin’ I heard about a Black male slave catcher in this film; how come I never, ever, not once, heard there were TWO Black male slave catchers, one of whom switched sides and became a slave free - er? How come I never, ever heard about this young brutha who says to Araminta**, “ ... since you talk to God and God OBVIOUSLY talks to you, maybe I should help you?” ? How come I never, ever heard about this young brutha who proves himself to the point where Araminta entrusts the safety of her family to him? Makes him promise her that he will get her family to safety and he says yes? How come I never ever heard about this young brutha? Because he did not fit in with the #ados (which is trash) talking point, that’s why.
Araminta’s father, portrayed by Clarke Peters (my man Lester from HBO’s The Wire and Big Chief Albert Lambreaux from Treme). I saw a loving and devoted husband and family man; one who surreptitiously aided enslaved Afrikans in their escape to freedom. A father who understood his child needed to be free and instead of his love smothering her with worry and trying to keep her “safe” on the plantation he encouraged her to run. It was Araminta’s father who put her in touch with her first crucial link to the Underground Railroad, Reverend Green. When she tells her father she doesn’t trust the pastor he tells her to do as he says. Fortunately Araminta was an obedient child. When Peters’ character refuses to open his eyes to look at her before she leaves I found the scene amusing. It was done so he would be able to truthfully answer that he had not seen her. Later in the film when Araminta returns to take her brothers and a few others with her to freedom, Peters’ character now has a blindfold on so that he cannot see them. Still amused, I thought “this man really does not want to be able to see them.” I soon realized what was truly in play: the last sight of his children leaving for what could perhaps be forever may have been too much for him to endure. Lastly, when Araminta returns and informs her father that he is in danger because of his aiding and abetting enslaved Afrikans and that he must leave with her now, he realizes his baby girl’s words are wise and he doesn’t argue with her. No “man tones” or “mansplaining,” he agrees and he leaves. End of discussion.
When we first meet Rev. Green, portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall, he is leading folks in the singing of “Keep Your Hands On The Gospel Plow,” a traditional Black church hymn. Many of us will recognize it because the rhythm is that of “Keep Your Eyes On The Prize,” sung during the Civil Rights Movement and as the soundtrack for the documentary series Eyes On The Prize. This was our first clue: Reverend Green had Black folks singing about freedom. Araminta does not trust Rev. Geen when her father tells her to go to him, and Araminta’s older brother tells her the exact same thing when they set out for freedom, and for good reason. For no sooner than he finishes leading them in a chorus of The Gospel Plow does he tell the enslaved Afrikans that they must obey their earthly masters even when the masters aren’t around. The quintessential handkerchief-headed, fried-chicken-and-biscuit-eatin’, non-violent-turnin-the-other-cheek Negro Christian pastor. Not. Rev. Green is the trickster. The OG Spook sitting by the door (to freedom). It is Rev. Green that Araminta sees when she first sets out for freedom, her first contact on the Underground Railroad. When Araminta returns after one year and brings her family members and others to Reverend Green’s door, not only does he embrace her and tell her how happy he is to see her; not only does he bring them into the church sanctuary and give them the information they need, when it is time to hide them under the church there are at least three other people down there waiting. These other individuals bypassed Rev. Green all together and just hid out. With a look of “surprised but not”, the pastor tells Araminta “the word about her returning to take folks to freedom has “gotten out.” Obviously, the word was also that Rev. Green was the man that needed to be seen. Shout out to Kasi Lemmons for the family hook-up in hiring her husband.
Conductor on the Underground Railroad, portrayed by Leslie Odom. My my. Brutha Still. Looking good. So handsome. And sharp. Fine clothing. Able to read and write. And absolutely committed to breaking the law of the land to free the enslaved. William Grant Still was absolutely, positively breaking the law. And he absolutely, positively didn’t give a damn. Once he and Araminta’s relationship deepens he tells her she is too important to simply just go off on missions whenever she chooses. I appreciate this aspect of his strategic and tactical mind. What I didn’t appreciate is when interviewing Araminta upon their first meeting Still noted that she may be suffering from “brain damage” because she said God talked to her. He ain’t had to go there. Be that as it may, Still asks Araminta if she wants a new name now that she is free. She decides to take her names of her mother and husband. Araminta Ross is now Harriet Tubman, thanks to Still asking the question. Towards the end of the film when news of the Fugitive Slave Law is announced, Still shows up with white abolitionists toting guns, with real bullets, who let off actual shots. Still does not carry a firearm but he shows up on the scene with the folks who do and that’s alright with me.
Husband of Araminta/Harriet Tubman, portrayed by Zachary Momoh. Next to Walter, this is my favorite character. The film opens with Araminta/Harriet laying out in an open field and Tubman coming upon her. She has had one of her “spells,” blackouts from a horrendous head injury inflicted by an overseer when she was a child. Momoh’s character gently caresses her face and calls her by her nickname “Minty”. Tubman does not lose his patience or his temper with her; there is no wondering of how long he has to put up with this or why he even has to; no asking of why she doesn’t get a grip or get “over” whatever this ailment of hers is. There is a loving acceptance of who and how she is, and worry that she might forget his name. Minty begins to repeat his name, assuring him that she knows who he is and that she will never forget him. One of the most touching and loving scenes I have ever witnessed between a Black man and woman. My only other comparison of this film would be to the version that Our Mother Cicely Tyson did in the 1970s. Though young when I saw it, I got the distinct impression from that film that John Tubman “punked out” (as we used to say) and was too scared to run away with Harriet once she returned for him. In no way shape form or fashion did I get that impression from this portrayal of Tubman. The only impression I got from this film was that John Tubman LOVED-DE-DED him some Araminta. I said he LOVED-DE-DED him some Araminta. Tubman wanted to make the trek with her but we are reminded that she wanted him to stay. She did not want him to risk his status as a free man, so she made the decision to run alone.
When Araminta/Harriet returns after one year to bring her husband to freedom and he informs her that he has remarried, to say that she is shocked angered hurt and heart-broken are the least of the descriptors we can use. But it is here where Tubman details his love for her. He tells her that when she left without him, he prayed for her. When her master “whipped the sight out of his eye” (a scar crosses his face from forehead to cheek covering his eye) in an attempt to get Tubman to tell where Minty was, he prayed for her. Tubman tells Minty when he heard, erroneously, that she had drowned trying to be free, he prayed for her. “I would’ve died for you,” he tells her, “if you’d’ve let me.”
GAHT DAMN! Where dey do that?!
If the love had been any thicker it would’ve stopped the playback on my laptop.
At least five positive, redeeming qualities of Black male characters in this film about one of the greatest Black women who ever walked this earth. How sad and miserable must some folks’ lives be that they didn’t have the eyes to see this?
This was not a film about Black men but about a Black woman. One Black woman. Although this film did not begin with Harriet’s childhood it did a good job for me of showing her develop into a confident Black woman who understood and embraced her purpose. Despite naysayers surrounding her, Harriet not only knew she needed to bring others to freedom, she knew she would be victorious in doing so. This portrayal of Harriet Tubman has made real for us the dictum of “if God be for us who can be against us?” Harriet not only believed God told her she must free others but that God guided her missions safely so she would never, ever lose a “passenger” on the Underground Railroad. There is no earthly explanation for an event such as this; you simply say Ase’ and keep it moving.
On a related note, I appreciated the film’s portrayal of Harriet’s “spells” as visions where the audience gets to see what she sees. I always appreciate when something is made manifest before my eyes as it draws me in to the story more. I love suspending disbelief. I want to be taken on a journey; it’s why I’m here!
“No Black People Were Harmed During The Filming of this Movie”
Years ago, decades, I would see that disclaimer at the end of a film about animals and wonder, why don’t we have one for Black people? This was well before we had both the phenomenon and the language of trauma porn. The energy of the past few years has confirmed that this is an actual phenomenon that concerns a critical mass of Black people; to the point where former Shadow and Act editor Brooke Obie has coined the term “Hurston-Walker Test”*** for it.
On this point, then, I was saddened and a bit unnerved at the demise of Janelle Monae’s character at the hands of Harriet’s former master and his hired slave catcher. She was violently murdered. Fortunately, if that can be said, that was the only instance of trauma porn I detected. And yet, it existed. Six of one, half dozen of another.
As for the White Savior, I saw none. I saw a demon who gave an instruction to a brute. Said demon killed said brute when the instruction was disobeyed because hey, that’s what the system of white supremacy allows. I then saw said demon attempt to kill Harriet Tubman, who disarmed him by shooting him in his hand. Should Harriet have finished him off? Of course she should have, and she would have had Thandisizwe Chimurenga been the director. But there was no white savior in this film. None.
I’m glad I saw Harriet. I wish I had seen it when it first opened and I had written this then.
Sonia Sanchez asks us what work does this do? Each of us must ask this question and answer it for themselves. I have stated above the work I think this film does. I make my commitment to doing so in writing on other films from here on out.
*NuAfrikan or New Afrikan: descendants of Afrikans enslaved in the United States between 1619 and 1865, designated at the 3rd Black Power Conference held in March 1968 in Detroit, Michigan.
**Araminta, Minty for short: Harriet’s name at birth.
***Hurston-Walker Test, named for Zora Neal Hurston and Alice Walker: “Those who love us never leave us alone w/our grief. At the moment they show us our wound they reveal they have the medicine.”
