Read a statement to the fans of The Help from the Association of Black Women Historians
Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of "The Help" a film, which takes places in Mississippi in the early Sixties. Based on the best-seller of the same name by Kathryn Stockett, the movie chronicles the emotional journey of three very different women who embark on a secret writing project breaking societal rules and therby putting themselves at risk.
Here, Blige, a six-time Grammy Award-winner, talks about what inspired her to compose the "The Living Proof."
Mary J. Blige "The Help" Interview
with Kam Williams
Kam Williams: Hi Mary, thanks for the time.
Mary J. Blige: Thank you.
KW: You're not old enough to remember the era in which The Help takes place.
Did the events in the movie resonate with you anyway?
MJB: Well. it resonated with me because I do know what was happening. She
[Viola Davis' character, Aibileen] is a survivor. She ended up surviving to
be able to tell her story through her book. The only way she was gonna
survive was through walking in love and forgiveness and that's the only way
I survived is through walking in love and forgiving people. And that's what
inspired the whole song. My Aunt Larruper was a maid when I was a child, and
both my parents are from Savannah, Georgia. And they would ship us down
South every summer, so we got a chance to see a little bit of the help. My
aunt was one of those women and she worked for a wealthy white family that
loved her to death, like really loved her and she raised their children just
like Aibileen would say, too, to the little girl, "You're smart, you're
kind, you're important." I believe my aunt was saying some of the same
things to those children, so that's how I related to the film.
KW: I wonder whether young people today will fully understand that
segregation was the norm back then and not just being made up for a movie.
MJB: I think everyone should understand the history the same way we had to
go to school and read about George Washington. I believe this generation
should know their history and they should know that the struggle's not over
yet. For instance, you can't get the cover of a magazine if your skin is too
dark.
KW: I would suspect that there are still two sides of the track in
Mississippi today. What would you say to young people about where we are
right now?
MJB: I guess I would point out how in the movie Aibileen forgave them for
treating her badly. Instead of getting angry and emotional, she walked off
and she forgave them. So, I would say see the film based on learning how to
live, how to walk in love and forgiveness I hope. You know, that's basically
what I would say to the kids.
KW: Is there also a sense of understanding whose shoulders they're standing
on?
MJB: Yeah, definitely. It's important for them to see how far we've come and
it's also important for you to see the courage we had to have. Someone had
to have the courage to say, "I'm gonna talk to save us all," and, of course,
I would suggest they see it for that reason, too. Someone had to stand up
and break the curse and the cycle so we could all have equal access to what
we're supposed to enjoy in life.
KW: What made you decide to write a song for the film?
MJB: When I saw the film, I cried so much. I got angry. I went through so
many different emotions but the thing that stood out to me the most is the
courage that this woman had, the courage. Just based on that alone is what
made me say, "I'm in." If she had been portrayed as whimpering, like "Oh,
master this and that," and had simply conformed to the system that was
trying to beat her down, I wouldn't have had anything to do with it. But she
was like, "I'm gonna stand!" And not only that, there was someone with a
white skin willing to help her.
KW: Will you still be playing Nina Simone in an upcoming film? What
attracted you to that project?
MJB: Well, that film got pushed back to October. Nina Simone was not only a
great artist, but an amazing woman, an amazing woman. She had a lot of
courage. She was an activist. She stood up for what she believed in, and
that's where I can relate to her. She stood up for what she believed in but
there was also a side of her that nobody saw, this human side which went
through a lot. But yeah, that project's happening.
The Help by Kathryn Stockett Hardcover: 464 pages |
Related Links
Read an AALBC.com Review of the film The Help
http://aalbc.com/reviews/the_help.html