Burton Releases This Is My Story Videos
2 min read
Six new videos in a series called This Is My Story from LeVar Burton show what it is to be black in America and what being a minority means when it comes to daily life.
Burton posted about the videos on his video account, saying “I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the state of race relations in America. One thing I learned from the success of Roots (if you don’t know, you better ask somebody) forty-two years ago, was the power of storytelling as a way to bridge the gap between races.
“There was an America before Roots and there was an America after Roots and post Roots, America was a greater, more enlightened nation. We came to a better, deeper, more informed understanding of the evil nature, intent and outcomes of chattel slavery as practiced in America. As a result, I fervently believe in the power of storytelling to move the culture forward. To that end, some friends and I have created a few videos, six in all, that chronicle some of the racist experiences most black people who live in America, have in common.
“Spoiler Alert: Unless you have walked the walk of the African-American experience in this country, it is difficult — not impossible — but difficult, to know what that journey is on the daily. Trust me when I say, being black in America is not for the weak of heart. Neither is it for the weak in Spirit. For, being black in America oftentimes means living in and loving a country, that does not love us back. You may take exception to my premise but you cannot discount my experience.
“The first installment of This Is My Story is an incident from my own life. The others are real-life experiences of some of my friends, told by me. Like Roots did so long ago, my intention in sharing these stories is to provide anecdotal context for being black in America.”
The first video can be seen below. The other videos are available on the same YouTube page.
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