In today’s day and age, racial tension is high around the world and is extremely prominent in the United States of America. Being an American for my whole life, these acts of racism are unjust and need to get fixed. Even though there is still a lot of the racism, the world has come a long way. The thought that slavery was actually legal is unfathomable. It has only been 242 years since slavery was abolished, it is still a pretty recent time period that people still remember too well. Does Roots (1977) still hold up in today’s day or is a just a dead stump in the ground? Let’s find out.
Roots take place during colonial times, the ripe time of slavery. It follows the journey of Kunta and how he and his people were plucked from their homeland and forced into slavery. He is brought on to a slave ship where he did not go quietly, staging a rebellion to take over the ship, but all the efforts failed. The ship arrives in Maryland, which is where they will be sold as slaves on an auction. He is bought but was not going to go without a fight. Kunta is proud of his race and refuses to change for anyone. Refusing to forget where he came from and what his name is, Kunta plots his escape waiting for the best moment to run away.
Kunta Kinte (LeVar Burton) was born in West Africa. He was getting firewood when he sees white men who then captures him. Kunta is sold into slavery but doesn’t let that destroy the person he is. He has a strong will to be free and will not forget who he is even if enslaved. Fiddler (Louis Gossett Jr.) is the one who made a pitch for his master John Reynolds (Lorne Greene) to buy Kunta. Fiddler teaches Kunta how things are around the plantation and how to speak English. Fiddler lets Kunta try to escape even though he knows that Kunta will get caught or worse. Since Kunta is Fiddler’s responsibility, letting Kunta go puts them both in jeopardy.
Roots is a living history book that holds up to even today’s standards. Just because it holds up doesn’t make it a masterpiece like it should be. Sadly, what holds Roots back is dialogue. Roots were put through the machine and was heavily whitewashed. It didn’t really show the full evil that was slavery. They thought it would be better to make it more for white people than actually pushing the narrative. If slavery was on Sesame Street, then this would be it. They had some adult scenes like Kunta getting whipped but other than that the show was soft and not accurate.
Even with all the whitewashing, Roots is still worth a watch in today’s age. With its flaws, the show is considered a blast to the past and is still a novelty. Based on true events, the story of Kunta is one of struggle and perseverance. Everybody watching this can learn something about slavery and how it was to a certain extent. The impact of the show still lives on today with a remake that was made in 2016.
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