Ray Hanania
More about race, less about truth
.
By Ray Hanania
It was bad enough when white racists would lie about the physical attributes of African Americans to justify maintaining the dual system of segregation.
Just as bad is the reverse racism that grew from the suffering many African Americans faced as a consequence of racism, even as the civil rights movement tried to right the nation’s human relations keel.
Yet, despite years of challenging demonizing stereotypes, there are still people who exploit racism–stirring the pot for personal gain and self-aggrandizement.
That is exactly what is happening at Netflix, the behemoth streaming entertainment network that not only is a source of entertainment but often a source of supposed education.
Netflix recently announced the return of a docudrama series produced by Jada Pinkett-Smith, who is best known these days for her judgmental silence last year at the Oscars when her uncontrollable husband, Will Smith, rushed to the stage and punched comedian and emcee Chris Rock in the face on national TV. I guess anyone with fame and money can be a Muhammad Ali, or a historian on ancient truths.
Pinkett-Smith returns to a second season on her series African Queens and this season will feature the life of Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen who reigned over Egypt for 20 years. The Hollywood role of Cleopatra was best performed in the 1963 Twentieth Century Fox movie blockbuster Cleopatra.
But Pinkett-Smith, reflecting the growing atmosphere of racial confrontation in America, cast her Cleopatra character as being black, rather than as European white.
There is only one real authority on Cleopatra and Egyptian history: the famed Egyptologist and scholar Zahi Hawass, whom Pinkett-Smith apparently did not consult. Hawass wrote in in Arab News newspaper on April 20 Cleopatra was white European. Most offensive, Hawass writes, is the Netflix docudrama asserts to be an “accurate account” of the life of the ruler of the Ptolemic Kingdom of Egypt, when it is not.
Ignorant of historical fact, Pinkett Smith, who has no training in ancient history, falsely claims Cleopatra’s race is “highly debated.”
I think this was done more to slap white Americans in the face than it was to correct an alleged historical error on race.
Hawass writes with academic precession for Arab News, “Cleopatra was not black. As well documented history attests, she was the descendant of a Macedonian Greek general who was a contemporary of Alexander the Great. Her first language was Greek, and in contemporary busts and portraits she is depicted clearly as being white.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2290456
Rather than hold herself accountable for this historical error, Pinkett-Smith, like her husband, slaps the public in the face. The actress chosen to represent Cleopatra, Adelle James, said, “If you don’t like the casting, don’t watch the show.”
Wow! It sure sounds like the same kind of racist rebuke that civil rights activists faced when they fought to assert African American rights and accuracy during the American civil rights movement.
Netflix is an “entertainment” platform where the world streams entertainment, fiction and non-fiction historical truths and untruths. But there should be some limits on what wealthy people like Pinkett-Smith can do and say on their platform. To claim the casting is accurate is a brazen insult to the intelligence of the public and especially to the Arab World.
Netflix is allowing Pinkett-Smith to rewrite history and truth in order to satisfy the racially driven woke movement in which fiction is more important than truth or accuracy.
There are so many other real African queens Pinkett-Smith could portray. Pinkett-Smith is basically saying Cleopatra’s “real Black race” was historically marginalized in an act of anti-black racism. That is as offensive as when her husband, Will Smith, trivialized the great performance talents of the hundreds of Hollywood Oscar nominees when he walked up to the microphone and violently attacked Chris Rock, all for personal gain and selfish want.
The Cleopatra controversy doesn’t help empower Netflix as a platform for reliable entertainment or documentaries. All it does is weaken advances many in the civil rights movement achieved by bringing understanding and truth to the shattered relations between blacks and whites in America.
Maybe Netflix might consider doing a docudrama on the American civil rights movement, and cast Brad Pitt, who is white, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was black.
That is exactly what Netflix is doing by allowing Pinkett-Smith to cast Cleopatra with a black actress who ignorantly asserts history is uncertain on Cleopatra’s race. History is absolutely clear on that point.
To be ignorant on a Hollywood movie screen is no different than being ignorant in life.
(Ray Hanania is a former Chicago City Hall reporter and award-winning columnist. Visit hanania.com for more commentary.)
Local News
Billions of cicadas get ready to raise a racket
Spread the loveBy Kelly White If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, you will soon. With 2024 marking a big year for periodical cicadas in Illinois, billions of the red-eyed buggers will soon be making an appearance. Periodical cicada broods XIII and XIX will be emerging throughout much of the state at the same time.…
‘A man of honor, a beacon of kindness’
Spread the love. Chicago weeps for Officer Luis Huesca . By Tim Hadac People across the Southwest Side shed tears earlier this week, as throngs of police officers and other filled the St. Rita of Cascia Shrine Chapel at 77th and Western for a funeral Mass for CPD Officer Luis M. Huesca. Officer Huesca was…
Archer Manor Little League starts its 2024 season
Spread the love. Sunny skies and mild temperatures greeted the boys and girls, moms and dads, umpires and coaches, and everyone else participating in Archer Manor Little League’s Opening Day parade and ceremonies at Archer Park. Since 1952, AMLL has provided athletic opportunities for thousands of boys and girls in Archer Heights, West Elsdon, Central…
Dread over car drifters on streets
Spread the love. Reckless drivers take over SW Side intersections . By Tim Hadac At the April meeting of the Garfield Ridge Neighborhood Watch, a police officer admitted that the drag racing/drifting phenomenon seen and heard in the Midway area in recent years “probably will increase, but we hope not.” The admission was triggered by…
Don’t raise pilots’ retirement age, García says
Spread the love. From staff reports U.S. Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-4th), senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, recently led a letter joined by 121 Members of Congress urging House Democratic leadership to reject any changes to the pilot retirement age in a final version of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill.…
CTA launches ‘chat’ feature on website
Spread the love. From staff reports Artificial Intelligence has made another step forward at the Chicago Transit Authority. CTA officials recently launched the “Chat with CTA” chatbot, a new virtual automated service featured on transitchicago.com. The communication tool allows riders to report issues, provide feedback and receive answers in real-time. Additionally, it provides the CTA with customer…
New effort to aid kids with disabilities
Spread the love. From staff reports A new grant program aimed at providing financial assistance to families of children with disabilities was launched recently by Mayor Brandon Johnson, in partnership with the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities and Ada S. McKinley Community Services. Children with disabilities is a population disproportionately affected by the pandemic,…
Dart warns of Sheriff’s Office imposters
Spread the love. From staff reports Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart recently alerted the public of an uptick in telephone and email phishing scams in which scammers identify themselves as a Sheriff’s Office employee in an attempt to defraud victims. Scammers are using the actual names and respective titles of Sheriff’s Office employees to…
It’s ‘Batter up!’ time in West Lawn
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . It must be May because baseball season is here. I recently reported on the West Lawn Little League, whose 2024 season is now underway. Another West Lawn youth athletic association is Midway Baseball Softball Association. Their teams…
Neighbors
Mother’s Day is truly a day to be celebrated
Spread the love. Peggy Zabicki Your correspondent in West Lawn 3633 W. 60th Place • (773) 504-9327 . Mother’s Day happens on Sunday, May 12. If this isn’t something to celebrate, I don’t know what is. Motherhood means new life, new beginnings, new possibilities. Even if you won’t be seeing your mom, you can still…
Saint Xavier men’s volleyball finishes historic season in nation’s top 4
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Saint Xavier men’s volleyball team made history by advancing to the semifinals of the NAIA Men’s Volleyball National Championship. But the Cougars fell to eventual national champion Georgetown (Kentucky), 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 21-25, 15-10, on May 3 at Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Although there was…
St. Francis first baseman Nate Maliska earns conference POW honors
Spread the loveBy Mike Walsh Correspondent The University of St. Francis sophomore first baseman Nate Maliska was chosen the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s Player of the Week in baseball for April 7. In helping the Saints to four wins that week, Maliska went 9-for-15 (.600) with eight RBI and seven runs scored. The St. Laurence…
Baseball | Marist claws way back to .500
Spread the loveBy Xavier Sanchez Correspondent This season has thus far not been what Marist had expected, but the RedHawks came into this week at .500. Marist was 2-8 after 10 games this season, with three of those first eight losses coming via shutout. But the RedHawks turned things around with a stretch of eight…
Red Stars fall to Spirit for third loss in past four matches
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent After enjoying one of their best starts in franchise history, the Chicago Red Stars have slid to the middle of the NWSL standings, with the latest setback being a 4-2 loss to Washington at SeatGeek Stadium. The Stars (3-3-1) entered this week having dropped three of their past four…
Red Stars take aim at NWSL attendance record with Wrigley game
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent The Chicago Red Stars are thinking big when it comes to their upcoming game at Wrigley Field. The team is taking aim at the NWSL record for single-game attendance when it hosts Bay FC at the historic home of the Chicago Cubs on June 8. The record is held…
IHSA announces boys volleyball postseason assignments
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Last year, the area sent a pair of boys volleyball teams to state as Lyons finished runner-up to champion Glenbard South and Brother Rice lost in the quarterfinals. This year, both could face each other in the sectional finals. The Lions picked up the second seed and the Crusaders…
Badminton players from Reavis and Lyons going to state
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Reavis singles player Dania Amjad finished third in the Bolingbrook Sectional on May 2 to qualify for the IHSA state tournament. The Lyons doubles team of Simone Brown and Mia Graziano finished fourth in the York Sectional to qualify for state. The state finals are May 10-11 at DeKalb…
Brother Rice, Sandburg sending boats to bass fishing state tourney
Spread the loveBy Jeff Vorva Correspondent Brother Rice is sending two boats to the IHSA state bass fishing tournament. The Crusaders had first- and third-place finishes at the Des Plaines River Big Basin Marina Sectional on May 2. Sandwiched in between the Brother Rice boats was a group from Sandburg in second place. The Crusaders’…