The history of that period echoes through to the present, given that relatives of those who endured that voyage are among the interested parties when remnants of the vessel – long the stuff of local legend – were located in 2019.ĭirected by Margaret Brown, “Descendant” brings the issue of reparations into a stark focus that’s lost in the course of these discussions, illustrating this painful past through the thoughts and feelings of those living in the area today.Ī bit slow-moving at first, the history gives way to a thoughtful conversation about how best to remember this history and honor its victims, while simultaneously highlighting the modern science surrounding identifying the ship and, thanks to DNA, potentially linking its captives to their descendants.Īlthough “Descendants” plays on the more prominent platform via Netflix, “Rosa Parks” is more compelling in a different way, contemplating the story of another daughter of Alabama – and how her contribution to the civil-rights movement was downplayed because she was a woman, while her image was “distorted and misunderstood.”Įmmett Lewis in the Netflix documentary 'Descendant.' Netflix “Descendant” tells the story of the Clotilda, the last known ship to convey Africans to America in 1860, before being intentionally scuttled in the Mobile river to conceal the crime. Rosa Parks” reclaims a figure whose legacy was too often characterized as the product of tired feet. Presented by Barack Obama’s company under its Netflix deal, “Descendant” examines the discovery of a long-sunk ship that brought enslaved Africans to Alabama, while “The Rebellious Life of Mrs.

Two powerful documentaries explore different aspects of Black history this week, in each case shedding light on misrepresented or under-covered chapters.

The rebellious life of mrs rosa parks