12-years-a-slave

Sarah Hedgecock · 03/04/14 09:38AM

The New York Times issued a correction today on its 161-year-old article about Solomon Northup, the real-life hero of 12 Years a Slave. The writer of the article had misspelled Northup's last name.

The Year in Racial Amnesia

Cord Jefferson · 12/30/13 04:49PM

The most interesting thing to me about the film 12 Years a Slave is that both its director, Steve McQueen, and its lead, Chiwetel Ejiofor, are British sons of immigrant parents. I wonder how both men, being black but not having roots in America, think of and relate to the story of Solomon Northup, who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South years after Britain had passed its Slavery Abolition Act.

Rich Juzwiak · 11/22/13 02:10PM

"I felt like the main character [in 12 Years a Slave]. And what I'm dealing with even as a mega-popular rich celebrity, you know, 'Fuck you, who do you think you are to complain about anything?' situation that I'm in." - Kanye West

Rich Juzwiak · 11/21/13 05:08PM

"I'm just happy things like that get made and people are employed. Otherwise they wouldn't be working. At least it brought things into consciousness. So I can't really knock it." - 12 Years a Slave director Steve McQueen on Django Unchained. Given his preceding comments, this counts as #shade.