Dunbar: " In an interesting departure from the original miniseries, we arrive in Hampshire in 1849 to find an older Chicken George, still immersed in the sport of cockfighting. Sold to an Englishman to cover a gambling debt, George has been stripped from his family, enduring the same pain as his mother and grandfather had before him."
#RootsSyllabus
Dunbar on Episode 3 of Roots: “I Decided to Live” @ProcessHistory“
Dunbar: "Kizzy will later tell her son, nicknamed Chicken George, that in that moment she made a conscious decision. As she tells him, “I decided to live.”"
Dunbar on Episode 2 of Roots: “Never Let Them Put the Chains on Your Mind”| @ProcessHistory
Dunbar: "Although Kinte ultimately answered to his English name, his rejection of Christianity and steadfast belief in Islam are welcome additions to this version of Roots."
Dunbar on Episode 1 of Roots: “The Shame Is Not Ours” | @ProcessHistory
Dunbar: "No matter how degrading the situation, the enslaved did not lack humanity, nor were they traumatized beyond dignity—a dated myth that is eviscerated in the first episode. Kinte is reminded of this during his horrific Atlantic crossing when a countryman declares, “The shame is not ours!” The blame of slavery is placed squarely on greed and white racism...."
