Spike Lee's powerful film, BLACKkKLANSMAN, brought tears to my eyes.
As I watched the story unfold, the true story of a black Colorado Springs detective -- the first black cop in the department -- who "infiltrated" the Ku Klux Klan with the help of his partner, I felt terribly sad and ashamed that the incidents depicted in the film could very well still occur today.
Yes, it was hilarious how that cop, Ron Stalworth, and his white partner managed to fool the leaders of the local KKK chapter, even to the point where "Stalworth" was nominated to take over as leader of the chapter.
And it was even more hilarious, how the real Stalworth ingratiated himself with Grand Wizard David Duke over the phone, and Duke told him he could tell if someone was white or black simply by the way they speak.
But it wasn't funny to hear those Klansmen, everyday people who were so consumed by racial hatred that they planned to blow up a rally of black protestors. Their vitriolic, hateful words reminded me of people I know who harbor those same views.
To think this kind of racial hatred still exists today is a horrible thing. But it does.
At the end of the film, there are scenes from Charlottesville, VA last year -- scenes of the riot that took place when white supremacists descended upon the city and one of their number plowed his car into a crowd of people in the street, injuring many and killing young Heather Heyer, to whom the film was dedicated.
And then to the screen came President Trump with his comments that both sides were to blame. That there were fine people on both sides.
That was followed by David Duke, the real David Duke, praising Trump.
I sat there stunned, eyes welling with tears. I wondered how the young black couple sitting next to me must have felt. I wondered that throughout the entire film, in fact, especially during graphic scenes depicting violence against blacks.
Right now, as I write this, I am sad for our country. Terribly sad that this horrible history of racial hatred and division ever existed, but even more so that it still exists today.
I am convinced that when all is said and done, that was a major reason Trump is president. He played to that hatred, and he continues to do so to this day.
Eventually, I pray, it will be his undoing.