Bill O'Reilly downplayed how bad slavery was. A Broadway legend set him straight.

Bill O'Reilly: 'Slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government.'

 Parker Molloy
07.27.16

While there were many outstanding lines from Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention, one line in particular stood out.

"I wake up every morning, in a house that was built by slaves," the first lady told the audience.

GIF from the 2016 Democratic National Convention.

The statement was a powerful reminder that our country's very foundation rests on exploited labor and racial injustice, and it was a testament to our progress as a nation and the historic nature of her husband's own presidency. It was a powerful moment.

It's a line she's used before. For example, here's an excerpt from her commencement speech this June at City College of New York:

"Graduates, it’s the story that I witness every single day when I wake up in a house that was built by slaves, and I watch my daughters — two beautiful, black young women —head off to school — (applause) — waving goodbye to their father, the President of the United States, the son of a man from Kenya who came here to American — to America for the same reasons as many of you: To get an education and improve his prospects in life."

Not everyone was happy about her statement, however, and perhaps the most notable dissent came from Bill O'Reilly of Fox News.

During the July 26 edition of "The O'Reilly Factor," the pundit tried to make a few clarifications to Michelle Obama's words.

On his show, O'Reilly said he believes it's important to note that the White House was not built solely using slave labor (though Mrs. Obama never claimed that to be the case — what she did say, however, is true). Additionally, he implied that the use of slave labor was OK because "slaves that worked there were well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government."

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Hollywood Reporter.

Broadway legend Audra McDonald took to Twitter to give O'Reilly a history lesson on what those "decent lodgings" looked like.

Warning: Tweets include graphic imagery.





What message should we take from all this? It's pretty simple: There are countless things we can argue as being "liberal" versus "conservative," but maybe the question of "Was slavery really all that bad?" doesn't need to be one of them.

It's 2016. It's OK to look back at history and admit there were certain things the country's founders did that were morally reprehensible — slavery being one of them.

That line in Michelle Obama’s speech was about progress and the need to acknowledge — and not erase or excuse — the painful parts of history that force us to grow as a country. To bring up the past and remind ourselves that the White House was built using slave labor is not divisive. It’s what helps us build a better future.

history white house fox news michelle obama slavery slave labor audra mcdonald bill o'reilly speeches
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Disney signed a contract with Indigenous leaders to portray culture respectfully in Frozen II

Sámediggi Sametinget/Flickr

Disney has come under fire for problematic portrayals of non-white and non-western cultures in many of its older movies. They aren't the only one, of course, but since their movies are an iconic part of most American kids' childhoods, Disney's messaging holds a lot of power.

Fortunately, that power can be used for good, and Disney can serve as an example to other companies if they learn from their mistakes, account for their misdeeds, and do the right thing going forward. Without getting too many hopes up, it appears that the entertainment giant may have actually done just that with the new Frozen II film.

According to NOW Toronto, the producers of Frozen II have entered into a contract with the Sámi people—the Indigenous people of the Scandinavian regions—to ensure that they portray the culture with respect.

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Though there was not a direct portrayal of the Sámi in the first Frozen movie, the choral chant that opens the film was inspired by an ancient Sámi vocal tradition. In addition, the clothing worn by Kristoff closely resembled what a Sámi reindeer herder would wear. The inclusion of these elements of Sámi culture with no context or acknowledgement sparked conversations about cultural appropriation and erasure on social media.

Frozen II features Indigenous culture much more directly, and even addressed the issue of Indigenous erasure. Filmmakers Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, along with producer Peter Del Vecho, consulted with experts on how to do that respectfully—the experts, of course, being the Sámi people themselves.

Sámi leaders met with Disney producer Peter Del Vecho in September 2019.Sámediggi Sametinget/Flickr

The Sámi parliaments of Norway, Sweden and Finland, and the non-governmental Saami Council reached out to the filmmakers when they found out their culture would be highlighted in the film. They formed a Sámi expert advisory group, called Verddet, to assist filmmakers in with how to accurately and respectfully portray Sámi culture, history, and society.

In a contract signed by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Sámi leaders, the Sámi stated their position that "their collective and individual culture, including aesthetic elements, music, language, stories, histories, and other traditional cultural expressions are property that belong to the Sámi," and "that to adequately respect the rights that the Sámi have to and in their culture, it is necessary to ensure sensitivity, allow for free, prior, and informed consent, and ensure that adequate benefit sharing is employed."

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Disney agreed to work with the advisory group, to produce a version of Frozen II in one Sámi language, as well as to "pursue cross-learning opportunities" and "arrange for contributions back to the Sámi society."

Anne Lájla Utsi, managing director at the International Sámi Film Institute, was part of the Verddet advisory group. She told NOW, "This is a good example of how a big, international company like Disney acknowledges the fact that we own our own culture and stories. It hasn't happened before."

"Disney's team really wanted to make it right," said Utsi. "They didn't want to make any mistakes or hurt anybody. We felt that they took it seriously. And the film shows that. We in Verddet are truly proud of this collaboration."

Sounds like you've done well this time, Disney. Let's hope such cultural sensitivity and collaboration continues, and that other filmmakers and production companies will follow suit.

indigenous people disney film cultural appropriation cultural sensitivity indigenous
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Not everyone thinks that women are tomatoes. This year's CMA Awards celebrated women, and Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles saw the opportunity to bring awareness to this issue and "inspire conversation about country music's need to play more women artists on radio and play listings," as Nettles put it on her Instagram. She did it in a uniquely feminine way – by making a fashion statement that also made a statement-statement.

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