How They See Them: Black Men in America

This past weekend I curled up on my couch and watched Ava DuVernay’s newest production “When They See Us.” As I watched, it pained me to know what I was seeing wasn’t fiction. It was a real life encounter of five boys who were wrongfully convicted of brutally beating and raping a white woman in central park. Racist ideologies and stereotypes are often used as grounds to lockup or even kill (literally and figuratively) our boys/men. They see our boys as grown men. They see our grown men as wild vicious beast. Telling the real stories of black men helps society see them through a different lens; well at least those who care to see.   

I don’t know if you caught it but the Central Park Five Case resembles the old brute stereotype. The brute stereotype dehumanizes black men, so they are portrayed as savage and beast like criminals. In many cases, brutes are associated with targeting and raping white women. This stereotype became vital during the reconstruction era (1863-1877) because it was used as a justification to continue lynching and slavery. Whites argued slavery so called tamed and prevented black men from resorting to criminal savage like behavior. In their eyes slavery wasn’t bad because it was doing society a favor. Today, prison serves as modern day slavery for the black man. Men of color make up 67% of the US prison population and they are more likely to receive longer sentencing compared to their white counterparts who commit identical crimes (OpenInvest, 2019). The same racial disparity is seen in juvenile facilities. Black children represent 32% of children who are arrested, 42% of who are detained and 52% of whose cases are judicially waived to criminal court (NAACP Criminal Justice Fact Sheet). Who knows how many of these boys and men are wrongfully accused, yet being portrayed in the media as a “brute.”

Korey Wise, Yusef Salaam, Antron McCray, Raymond Santana, and Kevin Richardson represent  a small group of many black men who were wrongfully accused and have served time for a crime they did not commit. Their lives were taken away because people like Linda Fairstein did not see them as young boys, but as “brutes” and criminals. They were deemed guilt before the facts were even reviewed because they were black. Their rights were taken away, they were forced to admit to a crime they did not commit and they were dehumanized in the media. When you watch Ava’s recent promotional interviews for “When They See Us,” she makes the statement that her intensions were nothing more than to “humanize” Korey, Yusef, Antron, Raymond, and Kevin. Everyone refers to them as the Central Park 5 (name given by the media), but she reminds us that these men have names and lives that were taken away from them by the hands of law enforcement and the media. Despite being exonerated and awarded a settlement, these men never received an apology or admittance of wrong doing by the police commissioner or anyone who had involvement with their case. It is great that they received a settlement, but lets be serious money will not give these men the time they lost or the healing they need to overcome the trauma they’ve experienced.

Many times in history we also see the brute stereotype used as validation for the killing of unarmed black men, especially by police officers. I thought he was sitting in his backyard with a gun in his hand, but it was a cell phone; Stephon Clark. I thought he was reaching for a gun but he was reaching for his license; Philando Castile. I thought he was dangerous because he was wearing a hoodie and carrying skittles in his hand; Travon Martin. He was 6ft 3in weighting 350lbs so I figured he could breathe even though he said he couldn’t; Eric Garner. Over the past years every time I turn around I see one of these cases on the news. They will have the roughest looking pictures of the victim telling you something he did wrong years prior; all of which has nothing to do with him being shot and killed for just being a black man. The bigger issue with all of this is how our men get portrayed in the media. It becomes the cause and effect of most of these incidents. On one side the media has programmed people to associate black men with danger, which causes them to be scared and assume the worst. On the other hand after the worst is assumed and incorrect actions are taken, the actions are justified because these men are just seen as “brutes.”

I believe that reimaging our black men in the media and society will help combat negative myths, stereotypes, and racist ideologies. It is hard to reimage a group of people who were negatively perceived for years upon years upon years. One way to help reimage the black man is by telling his story from a place of understanding, compassion and truth. This comes from more directors, producers and screenwriters of color incorporating realistic stories (fiction or non-fiction) of black men in their productions. I applaud Ava DuVernay for using her craft to share the painful truth of Korey, Yusef, Antron, Raymond, and Kevin. Directors such as Ava DuVernay, Spike lee, Ryan Coogler and Jordan Peel amongst many other pave the way for black men to be seen authentically in Hollywood. I did my graduate school thesis on blacks in Hollywood, so I know there is a struggle to release “positive black” content without the right budget because the old white men who run Hollywood filter and choose what they want to be released. The emergence of social media and streaming platforms such as Netflix make it much easier to release black content that can be popular or go viral. Reimaging the black man isn’t easy and it won’t happen overnight, but with every project we get closer to showing the world the real them.

The Central Park Five case is a prime example of how black men in America are viewed and treated. The world continuously paints black men as being dangerous vicious brutes but leaves out their humanity. They don’t see them as the kings, fathers, husbands, sons, princes, brothers and friends they really are. Pieces of works like Ava DuVernay’s “When They See Us” not only shines light on the injustices that happen everyday to young black men, but it also tells their personal stories. Not the fabricated lies, but their truth; their true emotions, vulnerability and strength. It is important that directors, producers and screenwriters of color tell the story of their people so they can lift, expose and inspire the world to think differently. We are left with the responsibility to reshape the image of our black men, because if we don’t who will.

This post is two fold so below I am sharing resources for people who were wrongfully convicted or recently released from prison. I am also including resources that help people of color explore the field of mass media production. All of the below resources are based in the NY Metro area. Please share.  

Resources:

WRONGFULLY ACCUSED

The Innocence Project

The Innocence Project’s mission is to free the staggering number of innocent people who remain incarcerated, and to bring reform to the system responsible for their unjust imprisonment. They help exonerates the wrongly convicted through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.

https://www.innocenceproject.org

The Innocence Network

The Innocence Network is an affiliation of organizations dedicated to providing pro bono legal and investigative services to individuals seeking to prove innocence of crimes for which they have been convicted, working to redress the causes of wrongful convictions, and supporting the exonerated after they are freed.

www.innocencenetwork.org

Reinvestigation Project

The Office of the Appellate Defender (OAD) is one of New York City’s oldest providers of appellate representation. They represents poor people convicted of felonies in Manhattan and the Bronx in the New York Supreme Court, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, First Judicial Department, the New York State Court of Appeals, and the federal courts.

https://oadnyc.org/reinvestigation-project/

Pace Post-Conviction Project

Law school students at Pace University investigate cases of actual innocence from Westchester County and New York City; DNA and non-DNA cases.

https://www.prisonactivist.org/resources/pace-post-conviction-project

The Exoneration Initiative

The Exoneration Initiative (EXI) is a pioneering not-for-profit organization that provides free legal assistance to wrongfully convicted people in New York. They focus on the most challenging cases, those that lack DNA evidence.

Very few lawyers and organizations have the expertise and resources to effectively handle non-DNA innocence cases, which are complicated and expensive. It can, and often does, take years of hard work to win a non-DNA exoneration. But EXI is in it for the long haul, wholeheartedly dedicated to freedom and justice for its clients: they are creative, scrappy and fearless.

www.exonerationinitiative.org

RE-ENTRY

CASES

CASES offers a range of programs to help youth and adults newly-released from jail or prison to successfully navigate the challenges of reentry, access opportunities to improve their lives (including through proven protective factors like education and housing), and avoid recidivism.

The mission of the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) is to increase public safety through innovative services that reduce crime and incarceration, improve behavioral health, promote recovery and rehabilitation, and create opportunities for success in the community.

www.cases.org/reentry-services

The Harlem Reentry Court

The Harlem Reentry Court—a cooperative effort of the Harlem Community Justice Center, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, and the Division of Parole—links parolees to a range of social services, including drug treatment, vocational services, and mental health treatment. Where appropriate, these services are also offered to family members to help increase stability in the home. To promote accountability, participants are required to return to the Justice Center frequently to meet with staff and appear before an administrative law judge. Their ultimate goal is to prevent parolees from re-offending by helping them find jobs and assume familial and personal responsibility

https://www.courtinnovation.org/programs/harlem-reentry-court

Next Door Project

Nearly 58 percent of criminal records contain at least one error.  Fixing these errors can help open doors to employment, housing, and stability that had previously been closed. The Next Door Project trains older adult volunteers to help people with conviction histories request, read, and repair their NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services rap sheets and criminal records maintained by consumer credit reporting agencies.  Next Door Project counselors also help individuals apply for Certificates of Good Conduct or Certificates of Relief from Disabilities, which provide presumptive evidence of rehabilitation and overcome numerous statutory barriers to employment and licensure. 

http://www.cssny.org/programs/entry/the-next-door-project

John Jay’s Prisoner Reentry Institute

The Prisoner Reentry Institute (PRI) diversified portfolio reflects an overall focus on understanding what it takes for people to live successfully in their communities after contact with the criminal justice system, and on increasing the effectiveness of the professionals who work with them. They do this through three main tracks of policy advocacy, direct service practice, and collaborative partnerships.

www.johnjaypri.org/

OPPORTUNITIES FOR BLACKS IN MASS MEDIA PRODUCTION

Black Women In Media

Black Women In Media was inspired by the need for representation. Black women are very much involved and are dominating fields such as Communications, Journalism, Entertainment, Television, and Radio. BWIM works diligently to inspire women within our community but also recognize those breaking past barriers and prejudices and dominating their respective fields.

https://blackwomeninmedia.com/

Black Public Media

Black Public Media funds and distributes media content about the Black experience, and provides training and professional development to independent producers of color.

www.blackpublicmedia.org/

The Black TV & Film Collective

The Black TV & Film Collective is a non-profit organization with the mission to create opportunities for artists of color to achieve their long-term career goals within the television, film & digital entertainment industries. They lead classes and workshops focused on skill development, host social engagements to promote relationship building, and provide opportunities for artists of color to showcase their talent via original content production.

www.blacktvfilmcollective.org

The Blackhouse

The Blackhouse helps Black creative voices and executives gain a better foothold in the industry. They showcase the best-of-the-best in film and television and are committed to highlighting the power of Black writers, producers, directors, and executives telling our stories. Success in the industry is bolstered by the help of relationships. Their goal is to continually change the way audiences think about Black movies and television and keep the conversation about Black storytelling going on-screen and off for years to come.

https://www.theblackhouse.org/about-us/