It’s hard to imagine that the photo above was captured in the same spot where this past week Trump supporters went berserk in all their self-righteous calls of whiteness and Make America Great Again-ness.. But the feelings that accompany both images more than fifty years apart aren’t so far removed. America was founded on the principle of democracy, yet built on a system of classes and races — the less fortunate ones doing all the work for the more affluent ones to enjoy. And for most of America’s history the least affluent ones happened to be Black Americans.
In a new, stunning archival documentary by Sam Pollard titled ‘MLK/FBI’ the charismatic figure of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is shown against the backdrop of just that America — which we believed long forgotten but which we’ve witnessed first hand in the past four years, while governed by a man with ideas of grandeur. MLK, might not have been dealing with President Trump back then, but rather J. Edgar Hoover, an individual who wasn’t very different in ideas and delusions of self importance. The FBI chief might have seemed more behind the scenes and less vocal about his prejudices but no one, from minorities to women to inconvenient leaders, was spared his scrutiny and crusade of puritanism. Never mind that behind closed doors Hoover was man hiding not simply one secret, but many many surprises…
Documentaries about our great leaders of the past are what I tend to gravitate to these days. Perhaps it’s a wishful journey back to a time of courage and might, something we’ve lost touch with while hidden away in our homes, scared of a pathogen that is smaller than a dust mite. But Dr. MLK Jr. is a personal favorite. He embodies the quote I often refer to by another great leader of the 20th Century, American President FDR “courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” In MLK’s eyes everyone could see fear was present, as if he always knew what his tragic destiny would be and yet that makes him appear even more brave.
I can’t imagine us as a nation, or even as a world at the moment, fighting for our freedom the way Dr. Martin Luther King and African Americans fought for theirs in the years leading up to racial equality laws in the U.S.. And yet there was a time when the lawn in front of the Washington Monument was crammed with bodies, joined together in their quest for justice. Not lawless, never acting like a bunch of thugs as those guys we witnessed this past week — these were elegant, self assured and unfaltering human beings. It makes for a moment of beauty in ‘MLK/FBI’. It is not the only one.
If there is a companion piece to read before, or after watching the documentary it is this commentary on NPR by Sam Sanders titled “The lies we tell ourselves about race.” “This isn’t America,” “this is not who we are today” are all clichés that we need to do away with before we can move forward and truly build an equal, just society — which values the lives of all citizens regardless of race, religion and social background equally. It is not a communist, liberal idea, it is how a decent, just society should be. Dr. King had a dream and so far, it’s remained a wish. Yet it could be reality.
‘MLK/FBI’ is perfectly directed by Sam Pollard, who is best known for his award-winning editing work as well. The footage, which must have been massive to begin with, needed someone with an editor’s eye and what stands out to the viewer of the stunning documentary is how concise the film is, yet how it leaves us with so much information. And yearning for even more.
Filmmaker Sam Pollard
When asked about the parallels with today’s Civil Rights issues faced by the African American community, Pollard gave a beautiful answer in the film’s press notes. “We are a country that's always constantly struggling with the issues of race, because this country is founded on the backs of slaves. We have what we call a tipping point and a reckoning in America with Trump in office, with the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests after the murder of George Floyd and the horrific murders that are taking place in this country. So it is extremely timely. But I would say that this film will always be timely in the American zeitgeist, because America and the issues of race never leave. Black men being murdered in the streets of America, by the police, is endemic. It happens every damn day. The work of administrations is to say there's chaos in the streets, get your weapons out because America is going to fall apart — it happens not only in the Republican administrations, but it happens in Democratic administrations. This is not unusual, but it's like a huge avalanche now. What Dr. King went through and what America's going through today is so connected. At the end of the film, when Beverly Gage talks about the First Amendment, the importance of protesting, it speaks directly to what's happening in the streets of America today.”
And how perfect to close with Pollard’s words when writing about this film and its timeliness — but also timelessness: “We could have done this film a year from now and it would still be timely as far as I'm concerned. Because this is America, quite honestly, and unless we have a real revolution, it's going to be the same cycle over and over and over again.”
‘MLK/FBI’ will be in select theaters and available to stream on demand, starting January 15th. Also note that a comprehensive Tribute to Sam Pollard at Film at Lincoln Center will be dedicated to the prolific filmmaker from January 15-22, coinciding with MLK/FBI's release. Check out the full schedule here.