Inspiration
Martin Luther King, Jr.: Behind the Scenes
We’ve seen Martin Luther King’s speeches, his marches, his public-facing side. But in an astonishing documentary filmed in the months before his assassination, we see him doing the granular work of social justice.
It’s Free at Last—Martin Luther King, Jr. Watch it online for free, here.
January 1968. Martin Luther King, Jr. is planning a new movement, the Poor People’s Campaign, with the aim of gaining economic justice for poor people in the United States.
He is on the move, from his home in Atlanta, to Philadelphia, Mississippi; Selma; Birmingham, connecting with organizers who will help make the campaign a reality. A march on Washington is in the works, and King is aiming to bring half a million people.
There’s all sorts of debate and dissent, people throwing a lot of ideas at him, and he takes it all in, steadily listening. He rejects suggestions for any strategy except nonviolence. There’s a fire in him, but also an unearthly calm as he talks about his own mortality, which came mere weeks later, while this documentary was still being filmed.
There’s one scene, late in the film, at 1:12, that I won’t spoil by describing. But it is one of the most beautiful, haunting things I have ever seen.
On this day commemorating Dr. King, this documentary is extraordinary to watch, 53 years later. His mission is clear, and he is determined to push ahead despite the monumental forces aligned against him. He wants to be everywhere, so he’s always running behind schedule. Somebody’s talking to him, always.
We remember Martin Luther King, Jr. for the monumental change he brought forth. This film shows how he worked. Change came in tiny increments, decisions emerging from long debates. It came in the small moment when he listens to a mother in the Mississippi Delta talk about having no food, no clothes, no work.
That’s what I take from this film. Every one of us has the capacity to change one small thing.
Thank you, Ann, for helping us remember on this important day.
Peace.
Thanks for the link to this documentary!
Thank you, Ann. The Rev. Dr. King’s message gets twisted in the wrong mouths; they forget that passive resistance is not inaction: it is one tactic of civil disobedience. Dr. King was a revolutionary until the day he died, and his call to action is the legacy we need to honor.
Thank you, Ann.
Thank you. We will watch it this evening.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s incredible to think that in our lifetimes,in our country, there were many many laws preventing black people from participating fully in a full and equal social life. It seems crazy to think how did anyone justify that and think it was right?
Thank you for these beautiful words. I look forward to watching this.
We must do more than just remember Dr. King today. We must act. Voting rights are very much under threat today in the United States, and we can’t afford to sit idly by, watching our democracy crumble.
thank you,
incredible and also sad, that 53 years later the subject is still at the forefront of the news. Democracy is so fragile, like a butterfly’s wing
I read about Dr King and thought wow, it’s wonderful how he helped change things.
But now it seems the world has forgotten his words and efforts even with this day we have in his honor.
So sad, that is why my woty will always be love.
Thank you for letting us know about this. Dr. King’s work and legacy must be remembered so we can continue it today.
Thank you, Anne! You and Kay and your wonderful team are daily reminders of the power of caring, thoughtful people to make sustainable changes in the lives of so many. Your actions (and daily columns and recommendations) inspire us all to live more intentionally and to consider the effects we can each have on the broader community as we move through our lives.
Thank you! I also encourage people to read Letter from a Birmingham Jail. I read or listen to this every year as Dr. King’s civil rights activism was much more than “I Have a Dream”. It saddens me how little progress has been made. We are going backwards because racist forces are at play to obstruct and remove rights.
Yes, Ann, we all have the capacity to change one small thing.
Why don’t we?
There is so much horror going on in the world and in this country, it is sometimes overwhelming to know where to focus attention to try to make changes. It’s such a great reminder that doing something good even when seemingly small scale is important. You don’t know where it might lead, but even a small local change for good matters.
Thank you for this message today. I am always astonished at how much just a small gesture can ripple through society toward change. With social media, too often those small gestures work toward something evil. All of us need to make a deliberate effort to send out something positive, compassionate, and caring each day, even if it is small.
Blessings for your day.
Beautiful. The closing sentence is just right.
Thank you Ann. We just can’t give up when so much seems to be leading our country and the world in the “wrong” direction. We must be instruments of peace in our homes, with our friends, and in our communities.
Carole
Thank you for sharing this documentary! Very powerful! Yes, everyone has a right to live.
Amen, Brenda, and to be well supported.
Yes.