Black Women's Historian Group Criticizes "The Help" Saying it Distorts Experiences of Black Domestic Workers

The Association of Black Women Historians released a statement, urging fans of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel and the new movie "The Help" to reconsider supporting the popular tale of black maids living in Jackson, Miss., in the 1960s, who risked sharing their experiences with a young white journalist. The statement reads, “Despite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers.” Um, if the ABWH cares so much about how the story of black maids is being told, why not mobilize the black film directors in the U.S. to tell it from the black perspective? Here's an excerpt from the press release issued by ABWH:

On behalf of the Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), this statement provides historical context to address widespread stereotyping presented in both the film and novel
version of The Help. The book has sold over three million copies, and heavy promotion of the
movie will ensure its success at the box office. Despite efforts to market the book and the film as a progressive story of triumph over racial injustice, The Help distorts, ignores, and trivializes the experiences of black domestic workers. We are specifically concerned about the representations of black life and the lack of attention given to sexual harassment and civil rights activism.

During the 1960s, the era covered in The Help, legal segregation and economic inequalities limited black women's employment opportunities. Up to 90 per cent of working black women in the South labored as domestic servants in white homes. The Help’s representation of these women is a disappointing resurrection of Mammy—a mythical stereotype of black women who were compelled, either by slavery or segregation, to serve white families. Portrayed as asexual, loyal, and contented caretakers of whites, the caricature of Mammy allowed mainstream America to ignore the systemic racism that bound black women to back-breaking, low paying jobs where employers routinely exploited them. The popularity of this most recent iteration is troubling because it reveals a contemporary nostalgia for the days when a black woman could only hope to clean the White House rather than reside in it.

Both versions of The Help also misrepresent African American speech and culture. Set in the South, the appropriate regional accent gives way to a child-like, over-exaggerated “black” dialect. In the film, for example, the primary character, Aibileen, reassures a young white child that, “You is smat, you is kind, you is important.” In the book, black women refer to the Lord as the “Law,” an irreverent depiction of black vernacular. For centuries, black women and men have drawn strength from their community institutions. The black family, in particular provided support and the validation of personhood necessary to stand against adversity. We do not recognize the black community described in The Help where most of the black male characters are depicted as drunkards, abusive, or absent. Such distorted images are misleading and do not represent the historical realities of black masculinity and manhood.

So, I guess the ABWH also had a problem with "The Color Purple," "Imitation of Life" and other movies set in the darkest period of America's history, from the dialect used, right? One thing I know, Viola Davis is a damn good actress and I would watch any movie she stars in because she brings a lot to the role. The bottom-line is until we start telling our story in our words, people like Kathryn Stockett will do the job for us, from the white perspective. Where were Spike Lee and Tyler Perry to produce and direct a film exploring the plight of black maids during the 1960s? Oh wait, they were busy arguing about who is a coon and who isn't. Well, I will be going to see this movie and won't let a group dictate my decision to see it or not. I'll post a review later this evening.

Review: A good friend and I saw "The Help" on Saturday and I must say, I cried, I laughed, I shook my head in disbelief at the plight of these black maids and I was also awestruck at the strength each of these women exuded in the face of being belittled on a constant basis. I don't see what the big deal is about the dialect. We all know the black grammar at the time wasn't the best, but the story was powerful nonetheless. If we could each learn a valuable lesson from the least among us during the darkest period in America's history, that poverty and racism shouldn't determine one's character and to fight in the face of adversity, then this country would be a far better place. Viola Davis, who played Aibileen, and Octavia Spencer, who played the sharp-tongued, but hilarious Minny, deserve to be nominated for Oscar awards. I would hope the Academy would recognize great acting and honor these two women for their powerful roles. Surely we can honor greatness -- not in the ilk of Mo'Nique in "Precious" or Halle Berry for "Monster's Ball." Both movies represented the worst kind of black woman. Octavia Spencer was the face of a woman abused by the system and abused by her husband. There's so much more to "The Help" than the dialect. When the movie ended, the theater burst into a loud applause. I was one of three black people in that theater watching this great movie unfold in the screen. I was proud that these women, in the face of unspeakable racism and denigration, risked all to tell their story. I don't care to whom they told it, it was told and the story was powerful. Yes, even if it came through the eyes of a white woman, it was powerful.


I was also struck that during that time, there were starving kids in Africa, 50 years ago. The young white women in Jackson, MS, made it a project to collect money for the hungry kids in Africa, but treated the black kids in their city horribly. We have come a long way in race relations in this country. Jackson, like many Southern cities, was a hell-hole for many blacks and a virtual paradise for white middle class families. The "Andy Griffith Show" and "Leave it to Beaver" both ignored the world in which blacks lived in misery and were denigrated for no other reason but the color of their skin. Thanks to Skeeter for telling this story and being a catalyst for change. It was a very sobering moment for me. The things that we complain and bitch about today, pale in comparison to the lives of our black ancestors, particularly during slavery and the civil rights era. We owe them a debt of gratitude that we can never repay. I kept repeating Aibileen's affirmation to "Baby Girl" "You is kind, you is smart, you is important." What powerful words to live by, notwithstanding the dialect. So, I'm not sure why the ABWH got all bent out of shape, when the movie addressed some really tough issues.

"I want to yell so loud that Baby Girl can hear me that dirty ain't a color, disease ain't the Negro side a town. I want to stop that moment from coming - and it come in ever white child's life - when they start to think that colored folks ain't as good as whites. ... I pray that wasn't her moment, Pray I still got time."

I would encourage everyone to go and see "The Help." I guarantee you will walk away at the end of the movie a changed person, with a new appreciation for what we have today and how far we have come. This movie is an Oscar contender -- Viola Davis for Best Actress and Octavia Spencer for Best Supporting Actress. If it isn't then they were robbed, as the black maids were in the 1960s.