Last week, the Academy Awards were given for films released in 2019. For over a century, films have been an important part of American culture. One of the most influential movies in the history of cinema is Birth of a Nation that was released 105 years ago in 1915. It was a technical and artistic marvel that became the most popular movie of its time. Unfortunately it was also a deeply racist depiction of the Civil War and the aftermath of Reconstruction. The “heroes” were the terrorists of the KKK who violently suppressed the newly won freedom and political rights of African Americans in South Carolina in order to “redeem” the rights of white people. The movie promotes some of the most heinous stereotypes of black people including the use of black face so that white actors could directly depict these stereotypes. Despite this obvious racism, Birth of a Nation became the first movie to be shown in the White House when President Woodrow Wilson arranged a screening for his Cabinet members and the justices of the Supreme Court. President Wilson would go on to segregate the government workforce in Washington, DC. Although the NAACP organized protests against the movie, it continued to be highly popular in the North as well as the South. It helped to reinforce both conscious and implicit racial bias and served as a recruiting tool for the Klan. Sadly there was little resistance to this racism from the white Church. Take a few minutes to watch the video clips posted below to get a sense for the racist imagery and impact of this movie. 105 years later, how are we as followers of Jesus aware of and resisting racial stereotypes and bigotry that are the legacy of Birth of a Nation and that take different forms in the various forms of media in our time?
