Julian Marshall: “The history of this country is inseparable from the oppression and violence perpetrated against African-Americans”
This week Clapper sat down for an interview with director Julian Micheaux Marshall about his most recent short film, We Are George Floyd. He has a background in commercial work as well as OBEY THE GIANT, an acclaimed short on artist Shepard Fairey, as well as work on features. He was moved to capture live footage of protests and rioting in New York City last month, which was the impetus for this project. He paired the footage with observations from activist Cornel West and rapper Killer Mike.
Marshall is a native of Washington D.C. and was recently added to the roster at Tool of North America. You can view more of his work here.
CLAPPER: Cornel West talked about the Floyd family being “spiritual nobility,” which I interpreted as being left behind with an incredibly heavy load to bear. That lineage is too long, and I think this grace under pressure is everywhere but remains hidden by thousands of untold stories. What are your thoughts on how this has played out through America’s past and present?
JULIAN MARSHALL: George Floyd’s family is without a doubt spiritual nobility. The history of this country is inseparable from the oppression and violence perpetrated against African-Americans. The United States was built on the backs of African-Americans. It experienced widespread prosperity as a result of my ancestors experiencing unending exploitation. I don’t know if you’ve ever been to the African American history museum in my hometown of Washington dc but its a heartbreaking and very necessary place to visit. I remember going to the museum for the first time and being in tears as I worked my way through the exhibits because of how explicitly they detail the hundreds of years of torture of my people in this country. The united states are full of revisionist history and slavery is generally taught briefly and abstractly. It is only when it is displayed explicitly that most folks truly understand the merciless gravity of it—and this is mirrored in how we collectively experienced every minute of George Floyd’s torturous murder. This is why it hit so many people so deeply—it was because it became irrefutably clear that America’s dark history still permeates contemporary society. All of this is to say that the Floyd family’s tragedy is a continuation of the sorrow that has been forced on our bloodline.
West also talks about the “failed experiment” of America and how “the system can’t reform itself,” which has become a more mainstream idea over the past month or so. Has that been an adjustment for you, particularly concerning social media? Have there been doubts about some people’s sincerity concerning reform?
I want to delineate between what’s happening economically and what’s happening racially, although they intersect at multiple points. From an economic standpoint, post-industrial America has failed most Americans. And largely what we are seeing in this country is a cry for help on both sides of the political landscape. This is a topic that I have been very focused on for years. And it is something that I’m currently writing a feature film about. The average American has seen almost no wage growth over the past 40 years while productivity has skyrocketed as a result of the efficiencies brought on by computers and the bastardization of capitalism. Meanwhile, the stock market has soared and left behind most Americans who don’t own stock. Wealth inequality has reached a breaking point. A lot of this is brought on by oligopolistic consolidation of industries and relentless lobbying that manipulates the law to benefit corporations over the wellbeing of the average citizen.
From a racial standpoint, America has, specifically, failed black people through the increased virulence of its prison industrial complex. Americans account for 5 percent of the world's population and 25 percent of its prisoners. It’s staggering. On top of that, we have a system that incentivizes the disproportionate imprisoning of black people. It’s a continuation of slavery. We have a system that was intended to keep us safe that results in the exact opposite. People are crying out because time and time again, it has failed to remediate these injustices.
Concerning the overwhelming outcry and increased activism, both in person and on social media, I’m completely inspired. There will always be some degree of opportunism and slacktivism but something feels different this time. This is one of the biggest collective experiences we’ve had in decades and it’s gone global.
I watched the destruction in Minneapolis. You caught images from the protests in New York, yet they’re almost identical and tightly connected. What was your experience with being on the ground during these protests, and how have they compared to experiences you have had elsewhere?
There was nothing quite like what I experienced last month… There was so much collective anger and sorrow that it completely overwhelmed new york city. That being said, the tone of protesting during the day was very different from the tone of protesting at night. There was so much productive solidarity during the day. Folks were showing up in waves to show that we are here and will not tolerate these injustices anymore. As you saw in my film, during the night, the protests took on a much more raw state. The protesters during the night were saying that “you have left us no option but to strike you extremely publicly and where it hurts most.” I don’t agree with the destructive nature of the latter, but it is something that happened and cannot be ignored. It was a huge reason for why I had a duty to make this film. Motivated by Killer Mike, I felt a duty to dissuade people from burning our neighborhood to the ground. I wanted to communicate that we need to channel our energy into actions that will solve our problems. Burning our out neighborhoods down will only weaken us going into the election and allow our opposition to dehumanize us.
The film is constructed as two halves and there is a contrast between West and Killer Mike’s words. It was like fashioning a coin to hold and mull over afterward. One side is the failure, and the other is hope. Which side has been tugging at you more in the wake of this project?
Both scenes are equally important and inextricably linked. Their contrast provides the relativity that we need to truly make sense of what’s happening right now. You first have to unpack the problem to present the solution. In my opinion, that’s how you build a strong call to action.
I found Killer Mike to be incredibly poignant here: “It is your duty not to burn your own house down for anger with an enemy. You must fortify your own house so that you may be a house of refuge in times of organization.” That is a call to action and varies from person to person. In the wake of this project, what are you feeling prompted to do next?
There are a few things that I plan to focus on for the next few months. The first is doing everything I can to motivate people to vote at every level of government. The second is to promote a unifying message that empowers the people who voted for Obama in 2012 and then Trump in 2016 to vote blue in November. And not because I want them to vote blue to satisfy my interests, but because I believe it is in their best interest as well.
I like the last bit of advice he gives as well: “Plot, plan, strategize, organize and mobilize.” What are organizations you would recommend people checking out to donate their time or support?
I recommend that people donate their time and money not only to the highest most visible politicians but also to local politicians. We need to take the presidency, senate, house, and local politics to undo all of the damage of the past 4 years. Namely, we need to restore balance to our judicial system.
Lastly, this is out of curiosity. I noticed that your middle name is Micheaux. I have to ask if that’s a family name or a nod to the pioneering director Oscar Micheaux.
I love that you bring this up. Micheaux is the mother’s maiden name. We have no blood-relation, that I know of, to Oscar Micheaux. But I’ve always loved the connection, in spirit, to Oscar Micheaux who is widely regarded as the first major African-American filmmaker.
WE ARE GEORGE FLOYD is available to watch on VIMEO HERE