The Help Helps Us All

  This movie, The Help, helps us all to remember a special time in our history when African Americans put their lives on the line to change the conservative culture of the South.  Even though the story is fictious, it captures the spirit of that time and reminds a new generation of the sacrifices Black Americans endured.  They fought against a conservative southern culture that treated them like second class citizens a hundred years after slavery ended.  In the movie you witness the roots of modern conservativism and wakes us up to the realities of what is happening today in our society.  Conservatives today would like nothing more than to gut government programs that help lift African Americans out of poverty.

African Americans during the Civil Rights period put their lives on the line to make it better for future generations.  We owe them a debt of gratitude for their courage but we also owe them a better world.  Otherwise, it was all in vain. Sacrificing your life for something you believed in is something very few people would do today.  Sadly, people wear their conservative philosophy like a badge of honor even when it includes prejudice.  That conservative southern culture has just repackaged itself today and is still trying to undermine struggling African Americans with substandard public schools, housing, and health care. 

Perhaps it is most important for young African Americans to see this movie as a source of pride in their heritage.  These wise black woman wanted a better life for their children and they knew that education was the way out of poverty. Too many young African Americans today have forgotten that message and get left behind when it comes to their education. 

It seems everyone today has forgotten the many themes of this movie and need to be reminded of our history again.  Most people today are complacent about the issues of prejudice, class warfare, and social injustice.  We need to have the courage to stand up for our convictions, for what is right and decent again, and we need our leaders to do just that.  Modern day conservatives are winning today because we have forgotten that right is might.  If you want your day in the sun, be prepared for a few blisters.  Draw on the courage of the women depicted in this movie.  Wake up America!