Black History Month Heroes: Goldie Wilson from "Back to the Future"

Pre-Obama America is gone. That nation faded into the twilight of history with the culmination of Black Run America (BRA), and the triumphant celebration of this momentous occasion is punctuated by the relative few who find its passing a source of despondency.

The transfer of power from those dispossessed occurred smoothly and without much resistance. Fittingly, the end of oppression, persecution and intolerance is gone, replaced with the benevolent rule of BRA and the potential for the annihilation of those whose ancestors constructed Pre-Obama has been put in place (in the meantime, scholarships are being given to white kids interested in learning the errors of being white, generously provided by agents of BRA).

Strangely, artifacts of that bygone era remain widespread and have yet to be deemed contraband. In fact, these soon-to-be-outlawed possessions are ubiquitously owned across the nation and worse, bring joy and satisfaction to those who view its brilliance.

Set in 1985, 1955, 2015 and finally 1885, these heirlooms from Pre-Obama America depict a much different land and nation then the one constantly derided and chastised by BRA's high command and their Disingenuous White Liberal enablers.

Back to the Future is a film (trilogy actually, but we will focus henceforth on the first movie) that showcases life in Pre-Obama America to a degree that few other cinematic features accomplished and achieves this result through the technique of telling the story of fate and destiny with time travel:

Back to the Future is a 1985 American comedic science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, co-written by Bob Gale and produced by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, as well as Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson. Back to the Future tells the story of Marty McFly, a teenager who is accidentally sent back in time from 1985 to 1955. He meets his parents in high school, accidentally attracting his mother's romantic interest. Marty must repair the damage to history by causing his parents to fall in love, while finding a way to return to 1985.

Perhaps it is the destiny of the United States, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal, that Pre-Obama America would come to a crashing end, replaced with the hope of a post-racial world.

Sadly, cities that have elected Black mayors find the prospect of achieving a post-racial to be a role Sisyphus wouldn't even take, thus creating an environment of tension and stolen gift cards for the homeless.

The hope of Mein Obama is predicated upon delusions of grandeur that deny abundant evidence to the contrary of a post-racial society ever existing.

Back to the Future dares to present positive images of Pre-Obama America which will be viewed by children who grow up in the BRA-controlled United States. A major case of cognitive dissonance will follow when the intolerant, bigoted and evil world of Pre-Obama America looks far more appealing to those young eyes than the crumbling infrastructure and failing schools of BRA.

Hill Valley, California is the fictional town that Back to the Future is set and the peace and calm depicted from the differing eras of 1985 and 1955 - save for the inclusion of the terrorist Libyans - is enhanced only by the serene whiteness of all the major players involved (and secondary characters too).

Save one. Black people have few positive images of mayors in the United States to look at as shining examples of public servants, but as we survey the rich fields of fictional Black History Month, SBPDL is proud to admit we have found gold.

Goldie Wilson is that man, the mayor of Hill Valley in 1985 and a highly successful Black mayor at that who gets elected in a - by our estimation based on the overwhelming white cast - 95 percent white city:

Goldie Wilson is a young black man working at Lou's Cafe in 1955 who goes on to become Mayor of Hill Valley in the 1980s. He is played by Donald Fullilove. A campaign poster shows the name "Goldie" in quotation marks, suggesting "Goldie" is a nickname, presumably in reference to his gold tooth, but in fact, the nickname was initially applied by Steven Spielberg to his boss, whose haircut was considered feminine (his hair curled out) at the time...

Goldie works at Lou's Cafe in 1955. Despite his humble background, he is an ambitious and confident young man who hopes to go to night school and makes something of himself. When he sees young George McFly being bullied by Biff Tannen and his gang, he tells George to have some respect for himself and not let people push him around. He tells George of his own plans to be somebody someday. George's son, Marty McFly who has traveled back from 1985, recognized Goldie and adds that Goldie will be mayor, unwittingly inspiring Goldie to run for mayor. Though Goldie's employer, Mr. Lou Caruthers, scoffed at the idea of "a colored mayor," Goldie vows to become mayor and to clean up the town (to which Caruthers jokingly replied with "Good, you can start by sweeping the floor.")"

It is that prodding by Marty McFly in 1955 that convinces Goldie of his inherent ability to govern and dispel slanderous and untrue perceptions that white people have of Black people through his more than capable leadership and executive dexterity that will usher in a golden era for all Hill Valley residents.

A Black mayor capable of maintaining an ethical administration is best kept to movies, as real-life Black mayors are notorious for stealing gift cards, texting prostitutes and doing cocaine with hookers:

Eighteen jurors, intent on missing no detail, watched yesterday as a television screen showed D.C. Mayor Marion Barry taking two long drags from a crack pipe in a room at the Vista Hotel on Jan. 18. It was the first public screening of the FBI videotape that showed Barry's arrest on drug possession charges.

Within moments, the screen became a blur of sound and action as FBI agents stormed the room, grabbing Barry, placing him up against a wall with his arms outstretched and reading him his rights before leading him away in handcuffs.

The enraged Barry muttered over and over, "Bitch set me up . . . . I shouldn't have come up here . . . goddamn bitch" -- references to the woman who lured him to the hotel, former girlfriend Hazel Diane "Rasheeda" Moore.

Here is the hilarious exchange of dialogue, from the displaced McFly to Wilson in 1955:

Goldie Wilson: [rushes up to George] Say! What do you let those boys push you around like that for?
George McFly: Well, they're bigger than me.
Goldie Wilson: Stand tall, boy. Have some respect for yourself. Don't you know if you let people walk over you now, they'll be walking over you for the rest of your life! Look at me. You think I'm gonna spend the rest of my life in this slop house?
Lou: Watch it, Goldie!

Goldie Wilson: No, sir! I'm gonna make something of myself. I'm going to Night School. And one day I'm gonna *be* somebody!

Marty McFly: That's right! He's gonna be mayor.

Goldie Wilson: Yeah, I'm gonna... [smiles, one of his front teeth is gold]

Goldie Wilson: Mayor! Now *that's* a good idea! I can run for mayor.

Lou: A colored mayor, that'll be the day.

Goldie Wilson: You wait and see, Mr. Carruthers. I *will* be mayor! I'll be the most powerful man in Hill Valley. And I'm gonna clean up this town.

Lou: Good. You can start by sweeping the floor. [hands Goldie a broom]

Goldie Wilson: [stands tall with a hand over his heart] Mayor Goldie Wilson. Like the sound of that. [collects George's dishes]

Hill Valley was never a chocolate city, nor did it possess a gorgeous mosaic of various races, but an overabundance of white people that elected a Black mayor. Perhaps it is only white people who truly believe in the idea of a post-racial world?

Interestingly, Mayor Wilson started a campaign to tear the clock tower of Hill Valley, the famous building that was struck by lighting in 1955, providing the 1.21 gigawatts necessary for Marty to return to 1985 safely in his DeLorean time machine. Built in 1885, this iconic clock tower represented manifest destiny, white people and was a vestige of Pre-Obama America that Mayor Wilson deemed superfluous even before Mein Obama was a community organizer in Chicago!

It is fitting that Mayor Wilson was elected in Hill Valley as the election of a Black mayor is an attempt by white people to eradicate the past sins of their people by showing how progressive and forward thinking they truly can be (see this list of Black mayors in America). Attempting to absolve the sins of their racist past is a move many white people perform through the elevation of a Black person to a role they may or may not be prepared for, but regardless, white people feel satisfied in showing off their anti-racist credentials.

Stuff Black People Don't Like welcomes Mayor Goldie Wilson of Hill Valley to the list of fictional Black History Month heroes. Wilson had a clean administration and brought stability to Hill Valley, performing his mayoral duties ethically and better, presenting an image of a Black mayor not embroiled in controversy.

It's a shame the National Conference of Black Mayors hasn't offered to make Mayor Goldie Wilson an honorary mayor yet, for his administration did more for the fictional town of Hill Valley than many previous Black mayors administrations did combined.

Interestingly, a study was done on Black mayors in America and provides us with an interesting picture that even the optimist Goldie Wilson would find troubling:

Prior to 1967, no major United States city had elected a black mayor since a number of southern cities did so during Reconstruction. Then, a combination of circumstances came together. Many blacks had been migrating to large cities since the turn of the century. A civil rights movement swept the country, knocking down barriers to black electoral participation, conducting massive voter registration drives, and raising the level of black consciousness. Meanwhile, many white residents headed for the suburbs, leaving inner city populations with a much higher percentage of African Americans.

This paper analyzes the 16 largest United States cities with mayor-council governing systems which had a popularly elected black mayor by 1991, allowing at least a 10-year post-election analysis of mayoral succession and local demographic change. It focuses on the cities in which black mayors were first elected and how their demographics have changed since those initial elections. Overall, the results do not neatly conform to the “hollow prize” conceptualization. These cities have generally been becoming smaller, older, blacker, poorer, and more crime prone; yet, there are some exceptions and counter-trends.

The power of... Black mayors. It's a curious thing. Thank God for Goldie Wilson.