A00036 - Must See TV for April 2022: Benjamin Franklin: A Film by Ken Burns

It is my tradition to view each new televised historical offering of Hampshire College, Class of 1975, graduate Ken Burns.  His latest offering is entitled "Ben Franklin". 


I have watched the first two hours and highly recommend this offering as well.  

Peace,

Everett Jenkins
Fairfield, California
April 5, 2022


-----Original Message-----

Wednesday, March 2, 2022, 5:34 am
Subject: March 2022 Must See TV: Slavery By Another Name


February has come and gone, but Black History continues.  This morning I viewed a PBS documentary entitled Slavery By Another Name.  This documentary profiles a practice of peonage that existed throughout the South after the Civil War which essentially continued the practice of slavery well into the 20th century. 

https://www.pbs.org/video/slavery-another-name-slavery-video/

For those who believe that slavery ended in 1865 and that we should get over what happened so long ago, I commend Slavery By Another Name.  

What reparations should be paid for the continued enslavement of African Americans after 1865?  What reparations should be paid for state sanctioned slavery?  What reparations should be paid for state sanctioned murder?

Of particular note are the comments made by some of the descendants of those who committed the crimes against the African American convict laborers.  It is very sad to see the guilt that has been passed down for generations. It is even sadder to think that some of those abuses continue to this day.

Peace, 

Everett Jenkins
Fairfield, California


-----Original Message-----

Monday, February 28, 2022 2:33 am
Subject: February 2022 Must See TV: The Murder of Emmett Till


Today is the last day of February 2022 ... the last day of Black History Month for the year 2022.  I returned home from a trip to Las Vegas on Saturday, February 26, and spent some time in the early hours of Sunday, February 27, watching my last February 2022 Must See TV selection, "The Murder of Emmett Till".  Watching the program brought back feelings of outrage, disgust, and sadness. Seeing the battered remains of the fourteen year old Emmett Till sickened me.  Learning about the acquittal of the two individuals accused of the crime disgusted me.  Learning about the subsequent tell all confessions given by the two individuals to a publication for $4000 outraged me.  And hearing that President Eisenhower and the FBI's J. Edgar Hoover did nothing after the confessions to hold others accountable saddened me.

It is Black History Month in America and, in this shortest of months, some deference is given to highlighting Black History.  I do not know what is being taught about Black History in the schools during this time of concern about the teaching of "Critical Race Theory", however, I do wonder.  How can one talk about Black History without discussing the nature of slavery? How can we explain the historic disposition of African Americans without discussing the domestic terrorism inflicted upon them during the century after the end of slavery that included lynchings, the systematic taking of their meager property holdings, and the wholesale destruction of their financial institutions?  How does one discuss the persistent disenfranchisement of African Americans without discussing the bifurcated system of justice that exists that has disproportionately incarcerated such a high percentage of African Americans?  What are the long term psychological effects of seeing and hearing about the deaths of Emmett Till, Oscar Grant, Trayvon Martin, George Floyd, Ahmad Arbury, and Breonna Taylor on African American families, in particular, and on the American people, as a whole?

My time is short in this realm.  I may never discover the answers to these questions.  However, at least, for the my remaining years, I can continue to ask the questions.

Peace, 

Everett Jenkins
Fairfield, California

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