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Nancy Kendall’s parents died of typhoid in two short days. They left a family of young children behind. Over the centuries, plagues like typhoid, yellow fever, smallpox, cholera and many other scourges literally wiped out entire masses of people, leaving devastation in their wake.  In an earlier post, We Heard the Bells, I mentioned Dr. Johan Hultin and his incredible journey to discover and research the virus strain responsible for the deaths of millions during the Influenza Epidemic of 1918. It took decades of persistence for Dr. Hultin to finally succeed in capturing and studying live virus tissue. Of course, he is not alone in his mission to protect the human race from deadly disease. It’s because of people like Dr. Hultin, Dr. Fauci and other dedicated scientists that many of mankind’s deadliest diseases are now nearly eradicated - all because we have vaccines that came out of their meticulous research. The CDC lists 14 Diseases You Almost Forgot About due to vaccine development. The list includes polio, tetanus, mumps and chicken pox. The complete U.S. vaccine list includes vaccines against cholera, diphtheria, small pox, tuberculosis, yellow fever and typhoid, the disease that killed Nancy Kendall’s parents. Some advancements in the science of health and prevention take years of scientific detective work. Others, like Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin, are accidents. After coming home from a holiday with his family, Fleming, who was studying staphylococcus, a bacterium that causes boils, abscesses and sore throats, was surprised to discover a blob of mold in one of the petri dishes. What’s more, the area around the mold was completely clear of bacterium. He dubbed his discovery “mold juice.” This accidental discovery saved, and continues to save the lives of millions. I recently listened to an Audible podcast narrated by Alan Alda entitled, “Soldiers of Science.” Synopsis: “It’s the height of the Vietnam War when a new generation of doctors, including a young Dr. Anthony Fauci, arrive at the National Institutes of Health as part of the doctor’s draft. What happens next is a hidden history of American medicine that could not be more revelatory or prescient.”  Audible subscribers can listen here. If you’re a non-subscriber, listen free with a trial subscription. It’s a fascinating story.
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OK, movie fans, grab your popcorn and step with me into the Hollywood scene, for just a little while. We love a good movie. Movies aren’t always just for entertainment. I’m always reminding myself of how hugely important and influential, and indeed a good piece of art, or a beautiful song, or a well done movie, or a lovely dance can be to make us think or rock the boat a bit.
The 93rd Oscar winners were announced on Sunday, April 25. This year, those nominated for Academy Awards represented ethnic groups other than white. Women directors were well represented. And I have to point out that one of the winning actors is 83 years old. The field included a much more diverse group than usual. 
A Few Oscar 2021 Winners
I’ve been a movie buff for years. I remember when many of the actors who played Native Americans were white people lacquered up with a lot of dark makeup. It was pretty awful. Not to mention that the ethnic group portrayed was almost always feared – a group hated and inherently bad.
I grew up in the West. So many of the assumed Native American traits, characteristics and practices were grossly inaccurate. No Native American I have known says “How” for hello, or “Me Broken Feather.” In fact, I don’t think that any of my Native American friends even have a name like “Broken Feather.” Good grief. You’d never know it from many film representations, but not all Native Americans lived in tepees. Some lived in pueblos, some in mounds of earth, and so forth. I’ve often wondered if John Wayne and others ever really looked back on those movies and cringed. Probably. Brian Young, a Navajo filmmaker talks about the dilemma faced by Native American actors even now. “Why I Won’t Wear Paint and Feathers in a Movie Again” is an eye-opening story. When I was a young mother with tiny kids, I remember taking my three little ones in our station wagon, to the drive-in to watch "Gone With the Wind." Well, I watched, they slept. The slave portrayals seemed contrived, patronizing and foolishly childlike. But somehow in 1939, Selznick wasn’t found guilty of offensive cultural stereotyping. Not then. 
They barely got away with the handsome Clark Gable saying, “Frankly my dear, I don’t give a damn” in 1939. THAT was enough to raise eyebrows in those days. But, not stereotyping. It's only in the clearer light of today that the film is finally being scrutinized.*
Anyway, movie nerd that I am, I am happy my viewing choices are a little more thoughtful, respectful, and humanely portrayed. It took the Academy of Motion Pictures an awfully long time to wake up. And, it still has a long way to go. Learn more about Black representation in film and television throughout history in these brief, but informative videos: The Evolution of Black Representation in Film The Portrayal of African Americans In Television and Film TCM Original Production: Blackface and Hollywood – African American Film History Documentary (12:46)
* Interestingly, Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award for her portrayal of Mammy in 1939's "Gone with the Wind." Her father was a freed slave.
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Nancy JeanNancy Jean is a woman of several lives and careers, including school teacher, homemaker, parent, amateur musician and writer. Read more... Archives
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