Just as black men were lynched, black women faced systemic sexual violence under Jim Crow
The moment that I decided to view this documentary I knew that I would be all in my feelings and very emotional. The moment that documentary begin I literally was on an emotional roller coaster. It’s crazy how watching The Gang Rape of Recy Taylor made me feel as if I was reliving every sick horrific moment of both her life and actual rape.
THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR shines a spotlight on the culture of physical abuse that was a common reality to women in 1944 Alabama. The documentary guides you through the life of Recy Taylor was only 24 years old at the time when she was gang-raped by six teenage white boys as she was walking home from church. What stood out to me was the fact that these demon seeds rode around town looking for a few girls to intentionally take and sexually have their way with as they deemed fit being white men. In these days there was a vast majority of women stayed silent after their attacks, fearing for both their lives and the lives of their families, Recy, a black wife, mother, and sharecropper chose to not stay silent. She bravely stood up for her rights, reported the crime, and publicly identified her rapists. The NAACP sent their chief rape investigator, Rosa Parks, to investigate. The whites Sheriff wasn’t going to have Parks coming into his area starting chaos. Parks having also once being the victim of an attempted rape, and she fought tirelessly to rally support, raise awareness, and establish a nationwide community that demanded justice in spite of being threatened and dragged out of Recy’s home. Recy Taylor’s life is a very powerful glimpse into some of the blacks most horrific truths from of our past. Mrs. Taylor’s case was an early catalyst for the civil rights movement and is an important and relevant story in not only African American history, but in U.S. history.
As the documentary unfold we hear actual accounts from both her brother, Robert Corbitt (pictured below), and her sister, Alma (pictured below). It’s gut wrenching hearing how both her younger brother and sister stood frantically on their porch as their father constantly paced the unpaved roads looking for his daughter, Recy.
The count by count detail of both her siblings simply breaks your heart. To hear how their father, Mr. Corbitt would sleep in a tree after his daughters rape and the fire bombing of her house in efforts to keep his family safe. It’s a known fact that Mr. Corbitt would not go anywhere without his gun after the crime. Sadly even now in 2019 we as Blacks are still subjected to similar crimes and injustices even though we’re free and free willed. This is definitely a documentary to be watched and shared with others.
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