How the Reality Show “Alone” Reminds Me of the Daily Lives of Black People

Our DNA contains a history of survival.

A couple of weeks ago, I was at my girlfriend’s house watching the survivalist reality show “Alone.” Each season, ten survivalists are placed in a bleak and desolate part of the world. Their only connection to the outside world is a walkie-talkie. Each week members of the reality show check on the contestants to see if they can continue in the competition.

In this particular episode, the contestants were placed in the backwoods of Canada near the Arctic. Each competitor was flown to a spot in the area. The contestants weren’t placed near each other. All they had were their backpacks and supplies. They can bring ten items with them. The show also gives survivalists a “survival kit” with additional items.

The contestants each have experience with the outdoors. Some have taken their own trips to far-flung lands, living off the environment. Others have spent time in remote places for months at a time. They were fully aware of the dangers and risks involved in the competition. If they made it to the end, one million dollars awaited the lone survivor.

As I watched the show, I was struck by how our ancestors, kidnaped from Africa and brought to the New World were survivalists. The enslaved were brought to a foreign land. They had to learn the language. They had to forage for food and/or live off the scraps from their oppressors. They learned how to fight off wild animals and adapted to their surroundings. Our Black ancestors endured so much to ensure the existence of future generations.

The contestants on “Alone” were able to leave when the conditions became unbearable. Some left because they missed their families. Others left because they had become sick. Still, other contests simply had enough of the wilderness and just wanted to go home. They used their walkie-talkies and informed those in charge that they were “tapping out.”

Our ancestors didn’t have the luxury of telling their oppressors they were leaving. Their homeland was thousands of miles away. Many of the enslaved didn’t have access to boats or horses. If they fled the plantation, it was often by foot, following the North Star. The star led many to freedom, but not all. And those who managed to escape left with the clothes on their backs. But freedom was the grand prize.

Although Black people are free from the shackles of slavery, we don’t have complete freedom. We’re still treated as less than in a country that fought for its own freedom over three hundred years ago. We are treated as separated and unequal. We are judged by the color of our skin. Everything we say and do is considered suspect. True freedom is when we no longer need our survival skills in this world.