Fruitvale Station

I did not know anything about Oscar Grant III. I did not know there was a movie out about his murder. I saw no trailers in commercials, did not see anything on my Twitter feed, nor on Facebook. A friend asked if I had seen it because he heard it was supposed to be the most important movie of our generation – so how did I have no idea about it?

First, the mere fact that I had no knowledge of this film says volumes of my world perspective and the media I am exposed to, but I’ll save that reflection for another post.

The first time I saw Fruitvale Station I cried and walked out of the theater silent, finding it hard to put together a coherent thought. The second time I saw the film I cried and walked out of the theater silent. It was a gripping, raw, emotional portrayal of injustice and the failure of a society to face its systemic problems.

As a Mexican-Polish-American I know very little about what it means to be a Black American, or any person of any type of color. Though I guess I am ‘technically’ not White, I have never felt judged based on my membership to a group defined by skin color.

Because I have never experienced this judgment, it makes me that much more uncomfortable to witness a film such as Fruitvale Station. It is clear injustice, it fills me with rage, hopelessness, fear and pain – but why? And do I have a right to have these types of feelings or reactions?

In the world today, it is sometimes hard. It is hard to know what is politically correct or how to phrase a thought so it is not offense to anyone. What does it mean to be culturally competent, or diverse, or inclusive? Does it mean tiptoeing around sensitive subjects and making sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable? I think not.

No one person’s experience is the same as any other person’s experience. We have to get comfortable in the uncomfortable. There is nothing, I repeat, nothing more important in the world today than to hear another person’s story. Even though I may have never experienced something that you did or had the same type of reaction, it is possible for me to empathize after hearing your story.

I feel rage, hopelessness, fear and pain after watching a film like Fruitvale Station, not because I can relate to the struggles of Oscar or other Black Americans, but because I caught just a glimpse of what it might be like to live that life every single day.

It amazes me the level of adversity so many people face in a place where so many other people have nothing but opportunity. Inequality is the failure of our system, of our government, of our leadership, of ourselves.

I urge everyone to see this film. And one step further, to reflect on what it means to you, what are your feelings, how did you respond to the story. Then, if you witnessed the story as injustice, the ultimate question is what are you going to do about it?