More Thoughts on 'For Colored Girls"

Good Morning. Much has been said, cried, ridiculed and talked on about the new movie by Tyler Perry, "For Colored Girls". I wanted to see it this past weekend, but my schedule felt a bit tight to do it although I wanted to give Tyler a push for The Opening Weekend, I had to come to the conclusion that this colored woman just couldn't do it. Add to the pot on me being a bit shaky driving at night alone can be added. But last night, I found the courage after attending classes on preparing income taxes to go to the theater and see this movie for myself. I was a bit early but it is something that movies are now costing over $9.25 to see at night. I know we're in a recession but that I guess the best thing I can say is that it is better than what some of my sisters and brothers had to pay in Atlanta or New York City for that matter.
Because I was a bit early, I went to another viewing of the movie already in session, and I came on to the part with Kimberly Elise and her kids. I won't spoil it but folks it ain't pretty. between her, poor Anika Noni Rose and Tessa Thompson's travails one bit. Not one bit. Some folks say it's depressing. My eldest daughter told me that she don't go to no theater to be depressed, she go to be entertained. I want to go one step further and state, Sometimes, we need to be depressed. especially when dealing with the issue of ourselves as black women.
When Tyler and Oprah produced Lee Daniels' "Precious", I knew why. When Essence did the interview with Mo'nique long before the movie came out, I knew why. you may say, well why? Well for one, Tyler and Oprah knows what it means to be abused. Many of us black women and black men although we may try HARD to deny it nows what it means to be abused. I was born into a three generation family of Caribbean based people, who when coming to the USA, stayed at my parent's apartment. and they took my curious little self and loved the HELL outta me without scarring me and if I could go back to a heap of them now who are in their graves, bring em back one good time and hug them and thanked them for allowing a little curious nosy girl to be herself and not abuse me, I would. Since I cannot, I'll say it here THANK YOU.
Yet, in many families, that wasn't the case. you had straight up predators, Chester the Molesters that just left countless pain, anger, deep seated and most felt issues at a child's feet. stuff they have no business dealing with and couldn't. I loved and respect Pam Grier's talent. shoot, I wish I had her style, but imagine my shock when I found out how she was raped at age 6 by her own cousins then again at age 19 by an acquaintance to whom she reluctantly decide to see after basically begging for a date(the same with Anika Noni Rose's character in the movie). But we just don't know each other's histories unless one tells you. I had one lady tell me she was raped at 13 and though she was close to her family, she never told a soul. never. until one day we were talking and it came out. even now as I write this, my heart goes out to her because what can you say? what can you do?
I know some white ladies will say well, we go through this too. Yes your right. but it seems to me, we as black women paid an even harder price going back as far as slavery when we couldn't do nothing but deal with it and press on. And it's like skeletons in the closet. It's there, you won't deal with it, probably don't know how but it's there. When Whoopi Goldberg talked about her own father raping her because she was the only one who he could do it with yet he declared her ugly and gave her to a white man at 15 to give him some "pretty grandbabies" oh yes, I can see why she ended up with Elohim. Sure can. because we deal with the pain and run to God, sex(like her daughter Thandie Newton did),alcohol(like Macy Gray did), drugs or take that pain in a ball and keep it inside of us until whenever and we don't deal with it. But thank God for these movies so that them skeletons can rattle and hit the road plus be buried. Thank God that Tyler Perry who I feel God put on earth as the book of Esther say "For such a time as this", and Oprah and Lee Daniels and countless other producers and writers for making movies, plays, books so we can see and wake up and say, "yes, that is me" and by God's grace do something about it. Now a lot of folks will say well, that's reverse racism. I say, KMA straight and simple. or like one of them singers said back in the 80s, you can call it what you want. Judge for yourself. but I pray you come out of the movie a more sensitive, more aware more better you.