Insightful Columnist Tolson Banner On "When They See Us" Asks If America Sees Black People at All

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"WHEN THEY SEE US" - A TOUR DE FORCE ILLUMINATING BLACK INJUSTICE IN AMERICA

By Tolson Banner

Nationwide -- I didn't want to take this ride. I knew film director Ava DuVernay would take me on a journey to destinations where new journeys begin - invariably in search of justice for black people in America.

I'm never ready for the emotional roll-a-coaster; the gut-wrenching; soul-stirring horror DuVernay's films evoke. But history demands I face my fears to connect the dots which tie our enslavement story together. With trepidation lurking, I pushed the start button for this Netflix movie: When They See Us.

The four-part series begins with a group of young black boys caught between the innocence of youth and the dignity of manhood embarking on a "boys will be boys" truant adventure in New York City's Central Park. In search of fun and escapades, five of these young boys would have their lives altered in ways they never envisioned or imagined.

At the end of the day all five young boys would beckon for the same outcome: "I just want to go home." The yearning for the actualization of this mantra becomes the basis for their unjust incarceration.