The Help Shows That We Have Unfinished Business
by Brother Rogers

The Help is one of the most popular movies in America right now. Based on a novel with the same name, the story focuses on the relationship between white women and their black maids in Jackson, Mississippi in the 1960s.
The movie and the book address a longstanding problem in race relations. I call it a blind spot. Back in 1994, a group of local citizens called the Race Relations Team was charged with studying race and determining the number one problem in our area. They concluded, “Racial inequality impedes social and economic development in Oktibbeha County because many citizens are not educated about racism and its effects.”
That was a fancy way of saying that some whites have a blind spot when it comes to race. They aren’t mean-spirited or malicious. They might even help a poor black family at Christmas, but their attitudes and actions foster an unequal status quo on race.
The characters in The Help demonstrate this blind spot well. The white women with maids are not intentionally evil. However, they are oblivious to the inequities around them, not to mention the inequities they inflict themselves.
The character who exhibits the most repugnant attitude, Hilly, energetically raises money for “The Poor Starving Children of Africa.” At the same time, she implements the “Home Help Sanitation Initiative,” a measure to ensure the maids would not share a bathroom with their white employers. It never occurs to her that her everyday behavior is at odds with her charity work.
The lead character, Skeeter, anonymously publishes a book about the maids’ difficult and humiliating lives in “Niceville.” Her girlfriends enjoy reading the book and hardly recognize their roles as perpetrators of inequality. They had a blind spot, a lack of awareness about the race problem and their role in contributing to it. That is the same problem identified by our local Race Relations Team.
Race and poverty overlap greatly in Mississippi, especially in Oktibbeha County where one third of our population is officially categorized as poor. Last week, a valuable workshop was held in Starkville called Bridges Out of Poverty. Most participants were middle class. We learned why those in generational poverty might have more children, quit a job, not speak proper English, spend scarce money on a large meal for family and friends, buy cigarettes but have trouble affording infant formula and a host of other choices we in the middle class would question.
Many entered the workshop with a blind spot, not knowing what it is like to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” We left with a newfound understanding and better appreciation for the plight of those who struggle to survive day to day.
A noted author on race and class wrote, “We know now from experience that simply removing formal impediments to equality is not enough; the pecking order thrives on hidden power and invisible rules. Therefore, we must change how we think. We have to change how we act. We must claim responsibility for the racial ills that affect our community because our fates are inextricably linked.”
The Help is a great book and a great movie. What would be even greater is if the story helped us all examine the status quo of our community, then examine ourselves, and see if there are any blind spots we need to recognize. Am I my brother’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? Are we doing all we can individually and as a community to bridge the gap between where we are and where we ought to be? Are we aware of The Help we need with our unfinished business?
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.
The movie and the book address a longstanding problem in race relations. I call it a blind spot. Back in 1994, a group of local citizens called the Race Relations Team was charged with studying race and determining the number one problem in our area. They concluded, “Racial inequality impedes social and economic development in Oktibbeha County because many citizens are not educated about racism and its effects.”
That was a fancy way of saying that some whites have a blind spot when it comes to race. They aren’t mean-spirited or malicious. They might even help a poor black family at Christmas, but their attitudes and actions foster an unequal status quo on race.
The characters in The Help demonstrate this blind spot well. The white women with maids are not intentionally evil. However, they are oblivious to the inequities around them, not to mention the inequities they inflict themselves.
The character who exhibits the most repugnant attitude, Hilly, energetically raises money for “The Poor Starving Children of Africa.” At the same time, she implements the “Home Help Sanitation Initiative,” a measure to ensure the maids would not share a bathroom with their white employers. It never occurs to her that her everyday behavior is at odds with her charity work.
The lead character, Skeeter, anonymously publishes a book about the maids’ difficult and humiliating lives in “Niceville.” Her girlfriends enjoy reading the book and hardly recognize their roles as perpetrators of inequality. They had a blind spot, a lack of awareness about the race problem and their role in contributing to it. That is the same problem identified by our local Race Relations Team.
Race and poverty overlap greatly in Mississippi, especially in Oktibbeha County where one third of our population is officially categorized as poor. Last week, a valuable workshop was held in Starkville called Bridges Out of Poverty. Most participants were middle class. We learned why those in generational poverty might have more children, quit a job, not speak proper English, spend scarce money on a large meal for family and friends, buy cigarettes but have trouble affording infant formula and a host of other choices we in the middle class would question.
Many entered the workshop with a blind spot, not knowing what it is like to “walk a mile in someone else’s shoes.” We left with a newfound understanding and better appreciation for the plight of those who struggle to survive day to day.
A noted author on race and class wrote, “We know now from experience that simply removing formal impediments to equality is not enough; the pecking order thrives on hidden power and invisible rules. Therefore, we must change how we think. We have to change how we act. We must claim responsibility for the racial ills that affect our community because our fates are inextricably linked.”
The Help is a great book and a great movie. What would be even greater is if the story helped us all examine the status quo of our community, then examine ourselves, and see if there are any blind spots we need to recognize. Am I my brother’s keeper? Who is my neighbor? Are we doing all we can individually and as a community to bridge the gap between where we are and where we ought to be? Are we aware of The Help we need with our unfinished business?
Brother Rogers is a guest columnist for the Starkville Daily News and works for the Stennis Center for Public Service.