The Tragic Case of Nate Parker. In high school I began actively…
By: Solomon Hillfleet
Tags: Me Too Movement, Cancel Culture, Nate Parker, Sexual Assault

The Tragic Case of Nate Parker

The Beginning of Cancel Culture

Photo Courtesy of Variety Magazine

In high school, I began actively researching black leaders whose life I could gain insight from.

One of my earliest introductions to such a person was with Eldridge Cleaver, who was at one time the Minister of Information and also head of the Black Panther Party’s newspaper.

His autobiography Soul On Ice was praised for its intellectualism and activism, but also equally condemned for his callous and smug attitude towards the rape he exacted on both black and white women.

Cleaver’s description of how and why he targeted black women first, was not only shocking but also depraved.

Instantly I wondered how and why so many people could identify with him.

True, his conversion from criminal to intellectual mirrored Malcolm X, a man who he credits as one of his heroes and sources of inspiration.

But Malcolm’s crime of burglary pails in comparison to Cleaver’s admittance of rape, a far harsher crime than the previous.

Sexual assault is one of the myriads of issues that plague the black community, one whose prevalence is known but not directly condemned, explained, or acknowledged on a massive scale.

According to statistics conducted by the Black Women’s Blueprint, 60% of African American women have experienced sexual assault before 18.

The Department of Justice statistics from 2006 shows that about 40% of black women have experienced sexual assault which still gives a picture of how prevalent the crime is in our community.

In spite of the admission of such a perversion, Cleaver was praised and respect for his courage, bluster and readiness to enact social justice and at times violence against an oppressive system.

Soul on Ice is venerated as one of the classic books of the Black Panther era and post-civil rights era as well.

I immediately thought about him when I read the news of what’s happening now with the actor and director Nate Parker, whose new film Birth of a Nation is set to come out in theatres this Friday.

Birth of a Nation, a play on the race propaganda film in 1905, chronicles the story of Nathaniel Turner, an American slave who led the most successful slave revolt in American history.

The film garnered considerable praise and acclaim when it premiered at Sundance Festival last year, and when many of us heard that it was coming to mainstream theatres, we found ourselves inspired at seeing a more redemptive message of black strength presented to the masses.

Confused by that statement? The endless tirade of slave movies grew tiresome for many. Seeing the story of the rebellion was much more welcomed.

Needless to say, once the story of his involvement in a sexual assault case broke waves, we (the black community) found ourselves once again divided on the issue.

For many supporting the film is liken to supporting rape culture, one of the major issues that indeed pit black women and men against each other.

For those who liken the offense to support rape culture, black men removing the crime from the offender is an act of betrayal, an open and unspoken reminder yet again that black women are the least protected and respected group in America and especially by its own men.

For those who saw his involvement as separate from the offense, not supporting the movie is yet another instance of black people allowing the media to control the narrative we believe of our heroes.

The importance of the story to them is more important than the messenger who they say has not been charged with the offense.

Regardless of which side you agree with there are two major things we should get from the situation. One is a prevailing belief in the black community that in order to contribute, one must be a person of unfailing character as opposed to a flawed.

Next is that once a person has become a pariah, they are no longer able to draw support from that community.

The underwhelming results from the box office and the snub from the Academy showed us all that the success of a black entertainer is dependent on black people.