Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Between 1880 and 1968, roughly 4000 Black Americans were lynched by white mobs. Many of these lynchings were commemorated through the use of photography and souvenir postcards. This documentary discusses the practice and how it was eventually used against the white supremacists.  Who's in it? The movie uses the voices of  Darian Dauchan ,  Biko Eisen-Martin ,  Jimmie Jeter , and  Kara Young. Review: I was looking for a way to kill some time while my family was still in bed this morning and after scrolling through some movies on Paramount Plus, came across this documentary. I ended up selecting it because of its short (15 minute) runtime and am glad I did. I've always found history interesting and enjoy movies and books that teach me something I didn't know about the past. This was definitely one of them and I found I both found it interesting and angering. I knew lynchings were a major problem in this country prior to the 1970s but never knew just h...

Synopsis: Francois Clemmons played the role of Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood for 25 years and became a household name as a result. This autobiography tells the actor's life story, including the abuse he received as a child, his struggles due to racism and having to choose between his homosexuality and his career. Review: Since I, like many people, grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood , I have been interested in reading this book ever since it first came out. I was finally able to get a copy of it through our library system and read it over the weekend. It did not disappoint. The thing that surprised me about this book was, even though the author's relationship with Fred Rogers was a big part of it, it ended up being only part of the story. Clemmons also chose to spend a great deal of time talking about his estranged relationship with his family (over his sexuality) and the people who filled in where they didn't, whether it was a family fr...

Synopsis: Since the end of the Civil War, black farmers have struggled to prosper under an inequitable system that has (both intentionally and unintentionally) given an advantage to white farmers. The book tells their story from the ratification of the 13th Amendment through a groundbreaking class-action lawsuit against the United States Department of Agriculture in 1997. Review: I wasn't planning on picking up a non-fiction book when I was at the library a few days ago. However, as I passed the new book section on my way to check out, this one caught my eye. It looked somewhat interesting so I added it to my pile. When I first started reading this book, I did have some doubts about it. Since it was written by a lawyer who was involved in one of the class-action settlements against the USDA, I was expecting it to be more about him and his role and not necessarily the people he was representing. Fortunately, as it turns out, I was wrong. The thing that really impressed me about th...

Synopsis: In 1942, with World War II raging in Europe and segregation still prominent in the military, the United States Army formed the all-black 761st Tank Battalion. Even though the recruits excelled in training exercises, many believed they would never be tested in combat until a shortage of tank crews resulted in the 761st serving under General George S. Patton. Once in Europe, they had to fight both the Germans and the racism stemming from the all-white units they served with. Review: To tell you the truth, when I came across this book in our local library, I was less intrigued by the subject material than I was about the fact it was written by a former professional basketball star. In fact, the only reason I checked the book out was I was a bit curious why Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to write a history book. As it turns out, the book wound up being a good choice. There were a lot of things I liked about this book when I was reading it. One of the main ones was the way the 761s...