By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | October 6, 2020 |
By Kristy Puchko | Celebrity | October 6, 2020 |
Last night on Twitter, The Good Place’s William Jackson Harper brought a disturbing form of Trump-initiated censorship to light. Harper, who is the son of a marine, was invited to host a virtual event through Arts In The Armed Forces, which would involve a Talkback and Q&A about a film of his choosing.
The film chosen was 1992’s Malcolm X, the Spike Lee-directed biopic about the Muslim minister and civil rights activist, who was memorably played by Denzel Washington.
Harper shares in his Twitter thread his excitement about the movie and the chance to discuss its themes with the academy’s students. Then, two days before the event, President Trump’s “Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping” proved a snag. The order dictates that military institutions not promote the “pernicious and false belief that America is an irredeemably racist and sexist country; that some people, simply on account of their race or sex, are oppressors.” Basically, because Malcolm X is a film about systemic anti-Black racism in America, showing it to military members could be seen as breaking this order.
THAT is where we are at.
Confronted with this, Jackson stated on Twitter, “This is censorship. This executive order is an attempt to censor certain difficult truths that still haunt our society. This executive order denies the very real experiences of so many minorities in this country. This executive order is rooted in the fictitious idea that the scourges of racism and sexism are essentially over, and that the poisonous fallout from centuries discrimination isn’t real.”
He also argued, “I believe that the selective censorship of certain chapters of our country’s because we find it disquieting, or because it disrupts our narrative and tarnishes our self-image, is cowardly at best, dangerous at worst, and dishonest either way.”
Here is William Jackson Harper’s full thread:
The event was an all-academy virtual screening of a movie I selected, that cadets would watch on their own, which culminated in a Talkback/ Q&A session via zoom. I thought this was a great idea.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
Furthermore, I think watching a movie with an eye toward discussion is an effective way to explore differing viewpoints, mindfully interrogate our own responses to a piece of art, and to expand our capacity for empathy.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
It’s arguably the greatest biography committed to film. Washington’s performance in this movie is a thing to behold. The restraint, the fire, the commitment, the physical and intellectual rigor of his work is beyond anything I’ve ever seen.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
Now the disturbing part. Two days before the event, I was informed that students at two of the academies would not be taking part for fear of running afoul of President Trump’s “Executive Order Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping”
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
Which meant they possibly couldn’t watch Malcolm X.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
I would encourage everyone to go and read it in its entirety here:https://t.co/VKIEOKTiIy
This executive order denies the very real experiences of so many minorities in this country. This executive order is rooted in the fictitious idea that the scourges of racism and sexism are essentially over, and that the poisonous fallout from centuries discrimination isn’t real.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
The film Malcolm X is history. American History. This film is not propaganda meant to teach one to favor one race or sex over the other. It’s History. It’s an admittedly thorny history, but it is history.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
And honesty is paramount if we are to ever continue to progress as a society.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
A dialogue that so many brave educators and activists are attempting to have right now. A dialogue that this President and his administration are trying their damnedest to silence.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
However, one did not for fear of potential consequences of stemming from an Executive Order from the White House. The fact that the film that the film Malcolm X could be considered “Anti-American” by this administration is very frightening to me.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
We can’t let this slide. I would encourage us all to stay vigilant, to question every single decision this administration makes, and every single word out of their mouths. Most importantly, WE HAVE TO VOTE. If we don’t, we are whistling past the graveyard. K. Bye.
— William Jackson Harper (@dubjackharper) October 5, 2020
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