When I see you

I am emotionally drained after #uglycrying throughout @Whentheyseeus but I can not recommend it enough. Essential viewing.

I am grateful that such stories are hitting the ‘mainstream’. Was it easy to watch? Hell no. Did I want to distance myself from their stories? Of course. Was it beautifully made and directed so that I had no doubt who I was rooting for or who the bad guys were? Yes. Is that ok? Yes. It happens in every good piece of art. It is what makes us take unlikely journeys and see them through the eyes of people we may not otherwise come into contact with. Is the balance of representation in film/theatre/tv right? No. We have a loooong way to go, but if you seek to educate yourself, these stories are starting to be told by great directors/writers/actors and producers.

This particular work (as with 13th and Selma) is all the more brutal and hard to swallow because it is based on real events. If the victim had been a POC or the boys had not been black and brown Harlem teens, they WOULD NOT have had their teen years ripped away from them and the police and press WOULD NOT have reacted as they did.

On a conscious level, I do not discriminate by skin colour but I am certain that my subconscious needs some attention.
@Gladwell (author of ‘Blink’) argues that intuitive judgement is developed by experience, training and knowledge but prejudice can, and does, operate on an unconscious level. These prejudices can be overcome through constant training.
And so I spent my evening off watching this heart-wrenching film from @avaduvernay as much to soak up the unjust treatment of the #centralparkfive as I did to want to let infiltrate the wrongdoings of white people that my subconscious may otherwise believe to be more trustworthy.

Next morning: I took time out of practising today in order to finish their story as I could only get through the first 2 parts last night. As a musician, I have been lucky enough to come into contact with people, places and culture that I otherwise may not have. I love that my job offers me this, but I still have a lot of work to do.
I believe in the human race and that love is more powerful than hate but unless we constantly strive to re-educate our societal prejudices, we remain closed off to some individuals we come across because we instinctively place them in boxes. We each have something to teach and plenty to learn. May my ears, eyes and heart be open so that I can re-educate my subconscious prejudices. The work starts with ourselves and I am grateful that this story, and others like it are being heard. In a world so overflowing with hate speech, slogans, and fear, we MUST educate ourselves and spread the love.
#Equality #Education #Womeninfilm #Injustice #race #bias

I will make it through this retelling of their story – knowingly using an evening off in order to ensure that I have seen, and processed, this version of the events. I refuse to look away in the hope that it helps to educate my psyche.

It is fantastic that Netflix is championing @Whentheyseeus and bringing such films into the mainstream.