Emanuel Documentary

For those of us living in Charleston, S.C., June 17, 2015 is a day branded on our hearts, minds and souls.  For the majority of us, we remember what were doing, where we were, and how we felt as we slowly began to hear about what had taken place at Emanuel A.M.E. Church that evening.  This day took Charleston, S.C. from being the number 1 place for southern hospitality and tourism, and catapulted us into martyrdom; a catastrophic example of what happens when racism and hatred is allowed to breed from one generation to the next.

Now, the story of Emanuel and the beautiful people who were murdered in this historically black church, will take center stage once again.  Actress Viola Davis, who was born in St. Matthews, South Carolina and Golden State Warrior’s Point Guard, Stephen Curry partnered together to tell the story on what happened that fatal night.

The story “Emanuel”, directed by Brian Ivie, will narrate the events that led Dylann Roof to walk into a Wednesday night bible study and murder nine African American church members during their closing prayer.  Along with the expertise of Ivie, Curry is bringing on his production company, Unanimous Media, and Davis is also using her production company, JuVee Productions; both are named as executive producers.

What can we expect in this documentary? Probably much of what many of us locals have already seen: in depth interviews with family and survivors.  Many people outside of Charleston have never heard from the survivors who made it out of the room that night; now their stories will once again be placed on an international platform.  Right now, many are curious if the production duo will delve into the history, family background, and environmental aspect of Dylann Roof, his family and his influences?  And if so, how deep will they go to get Roof’s perspective and/or discuss the how racism, culture, and rhetoric influenced this massacre?

Emanuel 9 – Charleston Will Never Forget

Kum Ba Yah

What many of us hope, especially many of us in the African American community, is that they don’t make this documentary some sort of Kum Ba Yah version of how black people came together with white people after a tragedy – that would be a catastrophe!  However, based on these statements, its starting to sound like that’s where we’re headed.

In a statement, Steph Curry went on to talk about his roll as a producer for “Emanuel”:

“Emanuel is an incredibly powerful film and we’re honored to come on board as executive producers. The documentary highlights how a horrible tragedy can bring a community together, and spreads an important message about the power of forgiveness. Stories like this are the reason we created Unanimous and entered the entertainment space. I hope the film inspires others like it does me.”

Viola Davis also made a statement, that also sounds very Kum Ba Yah-ish

“June 17, 2015 served as a stark reminder of the power of racism. That evening, a routine bible study at Emanuel Church was a soft target based solely on the racial profile of the congregation. We, along with the country, grieved each family’s loss. Yet, miraculously, from this devastation we witnessed tremendous benchmarks of humanity. The survivors found courage to love in the face of hate. JuVee is proud to be a part of this healing and truth telling along with Unanimous Media, Brian Ivie and John Shepherd.”

These powerhouse forces in the entertainment industry are sure you create a beautiful documentary on Emanuel and the lives of each person in church on that fatal night.  They have the money, influence, and resources to create a powerful film.  However, there is a deeper story that needs to be told; as important as the aspect of forgiveness may be, and yes, it is highly important; there is the elephant in the room. Black people continue to deal with a vitriolic hatred that is ingrained in southern culture.  The story of Emanuel isn’t all about holding hands and giving hugs; many of those people who held hands on the Ravenel Bridge, also wanted to continue flying their confederate flags AND voted for the most racist president our generation has ever seen.  So please, Steph and Viola, make us proud, but please, miss us with the Kum Ba Ya.

Source: The Wrap