Social Media Used Correctly Can Be Educational

As a real estate agent my cell phone is literally my lifeline. I spend a majority of my day returning client calls, emailing lawyers, and video conferencing loan processors. In between, I use a sourcing application, Feedly, to gather news and entertainment articles I may find interesting. Most importantly, Feedly creates a dashboard of all the social media applications topics (ex. Facebook or Twitter)  while keeping me from other disruptions. Since, Feedly cultivates articles from previous read material – it has opened me up to watching documentaries. One activist media source I find myself represented in is Ava DuVernay’s documentary 13^th. 

Through the eyes of Ava DuVernay the function of the prison system is permanently tainted in my mind. Ashamed, I admit that I am an advocate for high bails and minimum prison sentences. My assumptions lead me to believe individuals are responsible for they own successes and failures. Unfortunately, in the case of Kalief Browder the system failed him. Browder’s determination to not become part of the 97% of black males that take a plea deal, led to a lapse in his mental health and suicide. To later find out his case was dismissed due to the prosecution not being able to locate the complainant was infuriating. It is unconscionable for me to understand the evil a 16-year-old young man was subjected to at Riker’s Island. Yet, I like other black mothers find ourselves asking if this can become our reality.     

The stoic civil rights images and scenes used to parallel current racial tension pulled at my heartstrings. Whereas Armond White, National Review Film Critic, believes DuVernay is oversimplifying and exploiting the African American struggle – I found her production poignant for the audience she was trying to reach. She shined a light on racism bubbling right below the surface for those who have found it easy to ignore. I supported the line drawn between the murder of Trayvon Martin and Emmitt Till. It is easy for me to recall a piece of history from a book, but it is different to watch history repeat itself in my lifetime. 

Recently, Carolyn Donham, Emmett Till accuser, admitted Till was innocent. I found myself pondering if 60 years from now a young man with skittles and iced tea would be labeled as the victim. Till’s murder is regarded to some as the beginning of the civil rights movement. In 1955, I assume the same propaganda afforded to the useless killing of black men surrounded his death. His mom did not see him as a martyr, she only knew her son was gone. My pre-existing view on current racial issues has shifted. I now wonder how the framing of events in current day will be interpreted when a new generation studies our decisions.