When We Rise (Mini-Series)

This is a 4 part mini series that aired on ABC channel, which is a dramatization of the real life San Francisco centered fight for LGBT rights from 1972 to 2015. The LGBT community which arguably has had the most numerous organized campaigns against them of any minority group to suppress those rights in the United States during that time period; is shown with some real life snippets thrown in for people to relate to it better. In totality it is a long watch but absolutely essential for us to appreciate the fights that our seniors have fought for us to get us the rights that we have today and live relatively stress and hassle free.

The series focuses on the advocacy and other supportive work of three primary individuals, Cleve Jones, Roma Guy and Ken Jones, whose experiences focus on different aspects of the issue. At the center we have Cleve Jones, a gay teenager barely surviving on the streets of San Francisco, who eventually goes on to become one of the most prominent figures of the gay rights movement. He forms alliance with Roma Guy, a feminist activist who discovers her own sexuality in the process of agitating for the rights of her friends who are lesbians. Ken Jones is a black Vietnam veteran whose story is a bit alienated from the movement itself but it does focus on loss, addiction, and spiritual crisis. The intersections of sexuality, race, gender identity, and economics is all handled beautifully in this section of the series. We also have Diane, who is Roma’s partner and he own struggles to bring up a family and still be neutral without jeopardizing her career. The initial 2 parts show how hostile the entire the entire SF institutions were towards the gay community and how we did not have support from any section of the society. But just in the time when we the movements start and the heat starts taking place, slowly men start to get sick and suddenly the country in engulfed in AIDS crisis. Ken, who had won a hard-earned enclave of peace, ends up bereaved, homeless, and an addict. Ken and Roma need to move from political activism to fighting for their and friends’ life. Right from the days of Harvey Milk upto the very recent DOMA and Prop 8; we get to witness everything through the lens of these primary characters.

As I have mentioned above, There is a lot of stuff that has been tried to show and cover in this four part series, and in the process I felt a lot of it left more to be desired. Some fights felt left unfinished, especially in todays time when we could be so close to losing it all that we have achieved in past 50-ish years. The reality is that everything we see in this s real and actual people helped us achieve our goal while many of us just sat and did nothing but are enjoying the benefits. We really need to appreciate and feel gratitude for what we have today given to us pretty much without having to fight for it. The series may not have been the best rendered because 5-6 hours is not enough time to show everything that needs to be covered but is still super important.The acting by all actors is simply amazing. I personally felt the younger teenage actors were more in sync with the character than the adult versions. Also the connection between the actors within the same character felt missing but I guess. who cares! Guy playing Cleve Jones younger version is the best of the lot. I personally learnt a lot about the feminist movement as well in SF. This was a very good reminder for us and our history and now I am curious to read and see more about what happened in other parts of the country especially NY and the world.

We did have a long journey behind us whose rewards we are reaping but will this continue to be the case. I felt asking this question without any convincing answers. (7/10)