- Sep 12, 2009
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A Black Agenda Radio commentary by executive editor Glen Ford
Most Black folks are just grateful that there is finally a big box office movie about Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. But, of course, Selma is historical fiction, carefully crafted to make
some people and ideas look good and wise, and others to appear petty, narrow or stupid.
Who decides? The money-people, the producers, like Oprah Winfrey.
“Oprah insults Black SNCC civil rights heroes, but she protects the white, rich Kennedys.”
Like all historical dramatic films, Selma is a political work, reflecting the political views of
the producers. Oprah Winfrey is one of those producers, in addition to playing one of the
characters in this version of the Selma story. Her handwriting – that is, her conservative
Black political worldview – is all over the film, which demands and deserves a political
response.
For the purposes of this brief radio commentary, I’m only going to register three complaints.
Number One: the film is a crude insult to SNCC, the Student Non-Violent
Coordinating Committee workers who, along with a small minority of Black
preachers like Dr. Martin Luther King, comprised the infrastructure of the civil
rights movement in the Deep South.
Read more/listen: http://www.blackagendareport.com/node/14624
Most Black folks are just grateful that there is finally a big box office movie about Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. But, of course, Selma is historical fiction, carefully crafted to make
some people and ideas look good and wise, and others to appear petty, narrow or stupid.
Who decides? The money-people, the producers, like Oprah Winfrey.
“Oprah insults Black SNCC civil rights heroes, but she protects the white, rich Kennedys.”
Like all historical dramatic films, Selma is a political work, reflecting the political views of
the producers. Oprah Winfrey is one of those producers, in addition to playing one of the
characters in this version of the Selma story. Her handwriting – that is, her conservative
Black political worldview – is all over the film, which demands and deserves a political
response.
For the purposes of this brief radio commentary, I’m only going to register three complaints.
Number One: the film is a crude insult to SNCC, the Student Non-Violent
Coordinating Committee workers who, along with a small minority of Black
preachers like Dr. Martin Luther King, comprised the infrastructure of the civil
rights movement in the Deep South.
Read more/listen: http://www.blackagendareport.com/node/14624