Robert Lee Noye, a black Iowa man, was arrested Monday after police said he kidnapped a white woman, held her against her will, and compelled her to watch the “Roots” miniseries of nine hours of slavery so that she could “better understand racism.
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On Monday, Cedar Rapids police seized Robert Noyes, 52, on charges of first-degree harassment and unlawful imprisonment.
The victim, who had not been specifically described nor her identity was told as white in previous reports, The lady was reportedly made to sit with Noye and was threatened when she attempted to move away from watching the 1977 TV miniseries.
The grievance further mentioned that Noye warned the woman when she attempted to move that “, he would kill her and spread her body parts across Interstate 380 on the way to Chicago”.
The first episode of the “Roots” miniseries was viewed by over 28 million viewers when it premiered on Sunday, January 23, 1977.
He pressured her to watch the nine-hour show describing writer Alex Haley’s family history, ‘ so that she could understand her bigotry better, ‘ said a police complaint.
According to Barbara Maranzani, “Roots”‘s cultural impact was immediate as critics and journalists heralded the series ‘ frank portrayal of slavery and the resulting (though difficult) dialogues between black and white Americans about a previously taboo subject.
The series follows the hardships of one African American family for several generations, beginning with Kunte Kinte, an African hero sold in slavery, and his grandchildren fighting for their rights during the time of Civil War.
Kinte is a Gambia warrior in the late 1700s, aged 15. The series begins when he continues to undergo a semi-secret rite of passage, which involves circumcision, games of war and hunting. He crosses paths with a party of slaves and their prisoners after he is charged with capturing a bird without hurting it.
At the end of the ceremony, he returns to the village but is then seized by the slave hunters and a group of four black conspirators, composed of the arch-enemies of his family, the Koros tribe. The saddest part is that her sister was sailed on a ship to America after abduction.
The series also shows Knite’s arduous journey on a, overcrowded slave ship which is almost stinking and heading towards Annapolis, Maryland, where he was sold at the price of ten mules to a Virginia plantation owner.
Kinte’s name is being crocheted for a new Christian identity, Toby. During his time in the new world, Kinte seeks to retain his African and Islamic heritage, refusing to eat pork.
He was given a punishment until he would recognize his christian name. The story continued and reaches the age of an adult his descendants eventually got freedom from Memphis in Henning, Tennessee. However they were later raped by the masters who had lust for female slaves.
This remains the third most watched U.S. television broadcast ever after the last episode saw some 100 million viewers tuning in. The show is however, detailed to show the beatings, mutilations and abuse.
In 2016 a remake of the iconic miniseries of the 1970s was released on the History Channel, with Malachi Kirby starring as Kunte Kinte.
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