Emancipation’s release has once again sparked the debate over Hollywood’s continued use of Black trauma in historical projects. Is slavery an important part of our history? Yes, of course. However, it is not the only part of our story. We also don’t need endless scenes of Black bodies being beaten, tortured and murdered. In response to the issue, director Antoine Fuqua told Vanity Fair that hoped to spark a conversation.

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“The only thing I can do is try to tell stories that I think could be inspiring in some way but remind us of our history,” Fuqua said. “Because there is a responsibility: We are citizens of the United States of America and that’s the same country that kidnapped us and forced labor and brutalized us with violence for greed. So, I don’t think we can forget that. I don’t think we go about it with bitterness. We should go about it with an open heart; we should go about it hoping to have conversations about it and try to start some sort of healing about it.”

Will Smith’s Red Table Talk takeover premieres Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT on Facebook Watch.

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Emancipation is currently streaming on AppleTV+.