January 3rd 2024.
Ava DuVernay, the Oscar-nominated director, did not mince words when discussing Nikki Haley's controversial Civil War comments. The director had a conversation with civil rights leader Al Sharpton on MSNBC's "Politics Nation", and expressed her opinion on the presidential candidate's statements.
At a New Hampshire town hall event, a potential voter questioned Haley's knowledge of the Civil War, and the former South Carolina governor failed to identify slavery as the primary cause of the war. DuVernay wasn't surprised by this response, saying it should be seen as a warning.
"Either she didn't know that slavery was the reason for the Civil War beginning, or she doesn't want to say and wants to kind of continue the lies of omission that have become the hallmark of her party," DuVernay said.
Haley had responded to the voter by saying that the cause of the Civil War was "how government was going to run," and when the voter pushed further regarding the lack of mention of slavery, she asked for the next question.
The Associated Press reported that Haley changed her stance a few hours later, stating that "of course, the Civil War was about slavery" and calling it "a stain on America." However, the damage was done. DuVernay hopes that remarks like Haley's will be seen as a wake-up call of what has happened and what is to come. She said, "My hope is that it is a wake-up call to the dangerous kind of deranged idea that history doesn't matter anymore, and that's one of the big reasons why I wanted to make this film."
DuVernay's upcoming movie Origin is set to premiere in theaters on January 19th. Starring Oscar-nominated Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, the biographical drama tells the story of Isabel Wilkerson, journalist and author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. The movie focuses on Wilkerson's calling to write her book, which talks about racism in the United States being a concept of the caste system, often characterized by notions of hierarchy and purity.
DuVernay hopes that her movie will serve as a reminder of the importance of understanding and learning from our past. She believes that this is the only way to move forward and make sure the same mistakes are not repeated.
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