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“May 27, 2020” – Queen Sugar: Season 5, Episode 6 Breakdown
This Article was updated on August 4, 2021 by Jacob Heelein
“Queen Sugar” knew exactly what it was doing with Episode 505! This episode opens with George Floyd’s murder, and it is an incredibly heavily topic and a full-on conversation around black life, its value to the people living with us in this country, and how we process, navigate and continue to live amongst daily trauma, persecution, and oppression.
This is the first show that I have seen George Floyd’s murder addressed directly and by name. Watching how the black men in particular in this episode process and receive the news of George’s loss of life truly brought me to tears.
Queen Sugar: Season 5, Episode 6 Breakdown
Micah’s full and fiery expression, his feelings echoed the millions of black and brown lives who are fed up with the persecution, oppression, and blatant racism displayed by murderous cops in this country.
We knew this was coming with Nova and Calvin. She asked him if he feels shame about the murder of George Floyd. Calvin, states that he doesn’t feel embarrassed or ashamed and Nova takes the opportunity to educate on how Black People are held as a collective conscious and monolith while white people have the privilege of disassociation and no connection to the trash ass behavior of other white people.
Nova does not let up on Calvin throughout the episode. Halfway through the episode, she asked Calvin to tell her about the time he stood by and watched as a black kid was beat by his partner for stealing a candy bar.
While it’s not right that all black people tend to get viewed as or associated with the experiences the majority have with individual black people, it is a sad reality of our existence. Is it too much to ask for our white counterparts to have even a quarter of the same responsibility and accountability for the experiences other white people exude and release in white supremacy, hate, and racism? Not that every white person should have to suffer because of the acts of other hateful beings, but we need white people and allies who claim to not believe in these toxic beliefs, who don’t hold these hateful mindsets to hold the ones that do accountable and make this shit not acceptable.
We cannot fix some shit that we did not break. We will never be able to eradicate white supremacy without the help, care, and passion of white people who also want to see the mindset and institutions built on the mindset destroyed. What is so hard to understand about that!?
Erica Vain
Charley and Micah take the two sides black people found themselves on back in June, and honestly every day. Trying to figure out when to stand and fight and when to turn the other cheek. And Charley, I hear you, sis. Only light can drive out darkness and all that, but sis come on! Micah has a point. They are literally killing us with no recourse or responsibility.
Ultimately Charley decides to join Micah at the protest, and we love to see it! She was taken back to Micah’s run-in with the cops who decided one day it was the right day to take him on a side of the road and stick a gun in his mouth just because.
I really wish Hollywood wouldn’t have called RA. He was in marital bliss and completely oblivious to what had happened, and I watched like “dang he couldn’t even have the weekend without being emotionally destroyed by the senseless and racist actions or overzealous killer cops.”
Back at the diner, Vi finds Hollywood’s gun. It spurs the conversation around the right to bear arms and the need for black people to feel like they are able to fight for their lives when put in certain situations and protect themselves and the ones they love.
The episode closes on Ralph Angel and Darla having the talk about Black Lives Matter and navigating this world as a black person with Blue. He is about 10 years old and my heart breaks listening to Ralph Angel tell Blue how he has to be very careful, but ready for when he experiences bad people in the world or is stopped by the cops as a black boy or man. When Blue asked how he stays alive, that is it for me. Even with us knowing not to run, to not resist, to be compliant there are no guarantees that any of us will make it out of such incidents alive.
This episode was so layered, nuanced, and beautifully detailed. It covered all of the thoughts that I and many black people had over last summer and honestly are still struggling with today.
Even now as white supremacy still persists, it is hard to find the strength to continue on with life, light, and hope for more and to continue to work hard when the world feels so heavy and borderline unbearable at times. Simply from the actions of a group of people who wake up daily ready to choose violence and hate.
Y’all, I love you. I am praying for you. Praying for us. Please love on yourself a little bit more today, give yourself space to breathe and be. Please take good care of yourself.
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