Bid Em In

Oscar Brown jr. is the creator of this flick. He is a poet, playwright, singer, actor and humorist who traveled the United States, telling stories of African-American history. Over the decades, he has worked with many famous people including Miles Davis, and some of his songs have become classics. His video Bid Em In is meant to promote awareness, self-appreciation and knowledge of black history. He plays the role of an auctioneer who tries to sell a young black woman for slavery. He points out all her great qualities such as: being young and ripe, smart, attractive, healthy, strong, good worker, and can cook and sew. All of these qualities make for a much desired servant in the old days and many white men would pay top dollar for a woman such as her. I choose this flick because it is very powerful and well intertwined with the past and all its downfalls. This video also has a catchy tune that you will probably hear yourself singing over and over. This means this video sticks in your mind very easily, and at the same time paints you a great picture of the past.

The title is great because it describes the speed and efficiency when auctioning black slaves. They just pick healthy slaves; point out their best physical qualities, so that they can be sold at maximum price. They want this process to be fast so as you can tell it only takes the auctioneer a max of two minutes to pick, describe, and sell this slave woman. There is no need for more time to figure out her name, where she’s from, or if she has any kids. There is only time for her description of her attributes so she can be sold quickly. We talked class many a times about how the slaves poured into the Americas by an increasing number every year. We also talked about how they were treated on the plantations. That is why I choose this video because we get a detailed scene of how the slaves got from the ships to the plantation something we didn’t cover specifically in class.

There are many lines in this short segment but one that caught my attention was the line, “makes a fine ladies maid when properly whipped.” These auctioneers didn’t shed one single tear or hesitate to say anything about a slave to get them sold fast. I guarantee you this girl doesn’t want to be whipped into being a maid, but the thought of the possibility in the white elite man’s mind could persuade him spend that little extra money for a young and healthy slave such as the girl being auctioned in the video. I think all of this is sick and wrong. There is no way that kind of thing would happen today. This video reminds us of our dreaded pas; and to me is an influential piece that helps present and future Americans make this world into a freer, slave-less, environment. We are without a doubt still a segregated America and with more influence like this video and more support we can help mold this country into a place of equality and hope.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wnR8WDD2aoQ