Today I embraced my roots in a different way. Instead of loving my curls, which I completely do, I went to see Kathryn Stockett's beautiful novel turned film, "The Help." I finished the novel on Friday evening with dried tears on my cheeks, thinking of the way life was for my aunts, grandmothers, and great grandmothers not more than fifty years ago. I had been waiting to see the film until after I finished the novel, something I try very hard to do every time there is a film adaptation made of a book I'm interested in. Reading the novel clearly painted the importance of color during the sixties, but seeing it on the big screen was almost overwhelming. I have seen other films in class, and during my free time about civil rights, but they are usually told through the perspective of the African American men of that time. While I praise the men and their courage, seeing the tenacity these women had during such a crucial period struck a note within me. Watching Viola Davis, who plays Aibileen, as she bravely spoke about the aspects of the color divide she likes least was breathtaking. Not only was the character of Aibileen speaking out against social inequality, she was telling her stories to a white woman who could have easily betrayed her. But Aibileen had faith that she was making a difference and she truly did.
Even though Aibileen appears to be a fictional character, her fearless demeanor echos that of African American women during this time. Aibileen is a representation of women in my own bloodline who have worked until their feet were bleeding to survive. They took the beatings of injustice all so I could sit here now, a 24 year old female with a white mother, college educated, and the world at my feet. Their sacrifices are what has made it possible for me to follow my heart, and love the man I do without noticing that I have dark skin and he has white skin. I am able to enter the same school or public restroom as my white friends without being beaten or killed, while fifty years ago they were not even allowed to touch the same library books as white people . "The Help" showed me how often I forget about the freedoms I have and take for granted. I held onto a small piece of Aibileen as I finished reading the novel on Friday, and another piece as I walked out of the theater this afternoon. It will serve as a constant reminder, whenever I am feeling less than brave, that these women did not put their lives at stake for me to sit around being afraid. I am who I am in this world because of the risks they took. I've embraced it.Follow @AlexiaaBrooks
