The Legacy of Courage documentary did a wonderful job of juxtaposing the past and the present. Overlaying images of the Seventh Ward as it looks today with the narration of a descendent of a family who once lived there consciously puts into contrast the history of the space with its present state. Although the documentary glosses over it in the dialogue, the gentrification of the area is made more present by the difference between the black and white photographs from the late nineteenth-century and the technicolor videos of Philadelphia today.

In class, we spoke about the idea of looking at racism as durable, an “integral, permanent, indestructible component of our society.” In this framework, the fact that the United States was built as a white, racist republic permeates all facets of society still today. We see this in the glimpse of present-day Philadelphia in the documentary; although different people may live in the area, there still live people who can remember a much different time. However, the tone of the documentary does take on a more hopeful tune than durable racism might suggest. The inclusion of the story of the mural and two families coming together is much more in line with the triumph of liberal democracy camp and the American creed. The creation of the mural in the space serves as a tribute to the black families who once lived there and provides some sense of respect for the history of the neighborhood. Of course, a single mural, or a single story do not make a social movement, and it’s interesting that the documentary should take that spin. It might be interesting to look behind the motivations and audience of the creation of the video.