"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down".

One movie I still need to see is Birth Of A Nation. One of my longtime faves is To Kill A Mockingbird, which just yesterday I again watched for the first time in years.

One of my sisters recently reminded me of an incident that occurred long ago. After the death of her husband (my Dad’s Father) in early-1969, my paternal Grandmother moved to San Jose to live with us. One afternoon the sister heard the doorbell rang, then ring again. She exited her bedroom and stepped into the hallway that led to the front door. She saw the Grandmother standing at the far end of it, peaking around the corner where the hallway met the entrance foyer.

The sister thought that odd, and headed down the hallway to see what was going on. The grandmother saw her coming, put out her arm to stop her, and said "Don’t answer the door Robyn, there’s a big black n*gg*er outside." My friends found that story hysterical, again and again insisting I tell it.

My High School was attended mostly by white kids; we had a smattering of Hispanics and Asians. and only one black male. He just happened to play guitar, and every musician I knew in 1967 wanted him in his or her band. Blues was the dominant musical style, and Hendrix and Cream were leading the pack. Having a black musician in your band gave you instant credibility!

I assume you're referring to the Griffith 1915 movie.  That's the film where the KKK are the heroes.  It was the biggest grossing film in Hollywood history until "Gone With the Wind".  It's an important movie for cinematic reasons and a touchstone cultural event in American history, however, let's not micro analyze it.

One movie I still need to see is Birth Of A Nation. 

The pro KKK film??

@gavman: Yep, that’s what it is. I hope you didn’t jump to the conclusion that my wanting to see Birth Of A Nation implies I agree with the sentiments it espouses! Does wanting to see a Nazi propaganda film make one a Nazi-sympathizer? Not necessarily.

In the book This Wheel’s On Fire---co-written by Levon Helm and Stephen Davis---Levon tells the story of The Hawks having a couple days off between shows in 1965, and as they were near the town in which they knew Sonny Boy Williamson lived (Helena Arkansas, where Levon was raised), they thought they would see if they could find him. They did, and ended up spending several hours playing music with him.

The fun ended when a couple of law enforcement officers showed up, asking what the Hell was going on. The Hawks were told to pack up and get out of town. That story was also told in abbreviated fashion in The Last Waltz. All The Hawks save Levon were Canadians, and hadn’t witnessed that degree of racism. Seeing Birth Of A Nation will---I’m guessing---provide context for me to understand the racism I witnessed in my own family. As the FBI agent in charge in the movie Mississippi Burning asks: "Where does this hatred come from"?

 "Where does this hatred come from"?

Unfortunately, it's taught.

There is nothing innate about racism.