The Oprah Winfrey Network’s (OWN) drama Queen Sugar has a college student liken social justice concerns such as “voter suppression” and “discrimination” with “modern-day forms of slavery,” and offers praise for “The Squad” and Stacey Abrams.
In the October 26 episode “They Would Bloom and Welcome You,” Micah West (Nicholas L. Ashe) is on a vocal collegiate quest to highlight the plight of African Americans. His professor, Parker Campbell (Amirah Vann), challenges and is ultimately impressed by Micah’s presentation and his answers.
Micah, thank you. We appreciate your interest in exploring the ways in which African enslaved Africans of diverse societies have created new cultures in Americas, and the current status of Maroon culture surviving in Suriname, French Guiana and Jamaica.
Professor: Mr. West, you can hold it.
Micah, Yes.
Professor, I’d like to ask you a few more questions.
Micah: Ok.
Prof. What are the modern forms of slavery you’re referring to today?
Micah Redlining, voter suppression, school defunding, employment discrimination, loan discrimination, mass incarceration.
Professor: It is a list.
Micah: It’s the argument. It’s. It’s proof.
Professor: There is some evidence that a system may be flawed, but not all systems.
Micah: Maybe, but not all systems are.designed to oppress a certain group of people.
Professor: Then how is that possible to make Black-Americans Maroons, then?
Micah: the structures of a system are designed to keep a people out of neighborhoods, out of government, out of education, out of the workforce, and in some instances, out of society, and in prisons, and in a constant state of danger, what else do you call that, but being on the run, out in the wild?
Prof. [Clapping]Thank you Mr. West.
Micah, Thank You.
Queen Sugar isn’t the only show focused on comparing such societal ills to even larger ones. While this show compares them to “modern-day forms of slavery,” Paramount+’s Evil towards the end of its most recent season, featured a pastor claiming “redlinings” and “police shootings” are a “spiritual attack.”
As if to prove the American “system is designed to subjugate a specific group of people,” in the episode “Or Maybe Just Stay There,” police raid Nova Bordelon’s (Rutina Wesley) home with SWAT team gear, wantonly pointing their weapons at her and referring to her as “liberal trash” and a “professional shit-stirrer” for her journalistic and activist crusade to defund the police. The police are cartoonishly evil and it is clear that the purpose of this raid was to intimidate.
Policing: Do not make sudden movements. Place your hands over your head. You must get out of bed.
Nova: I’m Nova Bordelon. This house belongs to me and I am its owner. I don’t have weapons so why did you break into my home.
Police: This property is being searched for drugs.
Police It looks like you have a lot of liberal garbage from all that liberal rubbish.
Nova: Huh. Oh, hold on!
Police: How many years have you lived in this house? I need you to respond. What time have you been here?
Nova: Nova has been my home for the past 13 months.
Police: What is the best way to afford such a property? Are you taking the money like your friends from this movement?
Nova: I work. I am available for speaking engagements. My book made it to the Times Bestsellers List. We get over 2 million visits to our site each month.
Police: Professional shittster. You got it.
The police will escalate situations when a neighbor approaches them to inquire about the current situation. They draw their guns on him, and push them to the ground.
Dominic, are you alright?
Nova: Dominic, you have no control over anything.
Police: Are you a resident of this house?
Dominic: She’s my neighbor.
Policing: This is not a concern for you.
Dominic: Dominic, I don’t care what you say to her. This is my neighborhood. I don’t have my phone. It’s important that I document the experience.
Police:
Dominic: I can’t be stopped from recording.
[Nova and Dominic Thrown on Ground By Police]
Dominic: Hello. No, no, no. Take a look at me. Keep your eyes on me. Nova, don’t let them have that power. We are okay.
Nova: Everything is fine.
Nova tells Charley Bordelon West that she was terrorized by the police when Nova sees Charley (Dawn Lyen Gardner) following her encounter with officers. This is really about me… My power… My activism… My voice… My skin… My gender… All of it. Nova hears Charlie say that the “they didn’t take anything away from you.” They offered you something. They gave you more fire. Increased firepower.
Charley has decided that she is going to run for Congress, a prospect Micah is quite excited about when it comes to the thought of “My mom on The Squad” and “hanging with AOC and the crew,” and this furthers her resolve.
When Charley calls her DNC contact to announce, he explains that “our real goal is to change the political dynamics across the map, to give people a reason to hope again, and a reason to vote again, just like Stacey [Abrams] did in Georgia.”
The Squad, Stacey Abrams, and other leftist BLM activists would only be mentioned in glowing terms in show that was created by Ava DuVernay. There were also discussions on modern-day forms slavery and racist depictions made of police officers.
Conservatives fight back! This episode was sponsored by Tide, Hyundai, Febreeze, Mars, Etsy, Google, Clorox, CVS, Cadillac, Walmart, Olive Garden, Macy’s, Downy, and ZipRecruiter.
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