THE MLK FILM EVERYONE SHOULD SEE…

Dr. King was a great man. He was the leader of a movement. He did practice the principles of non-violence. He was a great preacher. He was a great motivator. He did advocate for racial harmony and forms of integration. Yet, he was all of these things and a lot more. His views and perspective on life evolved from the 1955 Birmingham bus boycott and civil rights battles in the south to a fight for economic empowerment in the north. His words evolved from passive and accommodating to sharp and fed up with empty promises. Dr. King was a complex man with many layers. The film that best captures the evolution of Dr. King is King in the Wilderness.

Peter Kunhardt’s 2018 documentary focused on the final 18 months of King’s life leading up to his assassination on April 4, 1968.

I was floored when I watched the film because it effectively captured the struggles King faced in the final months of his life. There were internal struggles. There was the notion that King’s time had passed and a new, more militant, approach was needed. There was the challenge of Hoover and the FBI and their efforts to discredit him. There was so much on King’s shoulders – none of which we learned when we celebrated his life’s work in school. King in the Wilderness doesn’t tell the complete story of Dr. King, but the story it tells is more accurate than others. If you have time, watch it today as you celebrate the life of Dr. King. Happy King Day! #WESEEIT