5 Films to Help You Reflect on Martin Luther King Day
MLK Day is more than just a day off from work; it’s a time to think about a man who dedicated his life to fighting inequalities within society. Martin Luther King Jr. found himself in the middle of many battles throughout his life. He protested and spoke out against segregation, voting rights opposition, economic inequality, and many, many other injustices that plagued the world.
Most of us have learned about King from school and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. We learn how peaceful he was, and lead others to be, even as the opposition violently targeted him and his followers. Below is a list of films to help reflect on what King peacefully, yet fearlessly fought for; and ultimately died for, to make the world a better place for all people.
Ruby Bridges (1998)
Imagine going to school with an angry mob of people cursing you each day. Once you get into the school, there are teachers and staff that also treat you as if you don’t belong. Now imagine that you are only six years old…
No child should ever have to experience this, and Ruby Bridges did just that each morning as one of the first African American children to integrate a New Orleans school in 1960.
This is a family friend movie, but it still packs a huge punch because no one wants to see a child suffering in this way. It will make you question if segregation in schools is truly a thing of the past.
Disney
Dead Presidents (1995)
MLK spoke out against the Vietnam War openly, as he believed it to be immoral and connected it to racial inequalities here in the United States. It’s interesting to think about MLK’s connection to the Vietnam War as it was a war that drafted many poor men and men of color to fight other poor people in another country.
Dead Presidents doesn’t mention Martin much (if at all), but it is instead a personal look at how the war and the aftermath of the war affects the lives of a friend group black and hispanic men..
The main character, Anthony, is very interesting since he signs up for the war voluntarily and comes home to a country that does not consider him a hero. The lack of support from his country and community takes a toll on him while he also battles personal struggles with PTSD.
This is one of my all time favorite movies and it has a haunting ending that always leaves me in tears.
Hollywood Pictures
The 13th (2016)
The 13th is a documentary that will stick with me for the rest of my life. Ava DuVernay does an excellent job at connecting historical context to modern times in relation to the slavery and the prison system.
It’s no secret that people of color and poor people are incarcerated at unequal numbers; this documentary shows clear evidence of the reasons behind that.
MLK would’ve appreciated this documentary as it dives into systemic racism’s connection to labor in this country, and how it continues to be a problem in modern times. Sadly, King himself was arrested and jailed numerous times; once even for driving 30 mph in a 25mph area. His famous Letter from a Birmingham Jail from 1963 calls out unjust laws, and was written while he was in Birmingham city jail.
Netflix
Loving (2016)
Marriage equality has surely had its battles in America. It’s no surprise that interracial marriage was out of question in the United States once upon a time. Loving revolves around the couple Richard and Mildred Loving and their case that made it to the Supreme court (Loving v. Virginia) for the right to be married. Richard, a white man, and Mildred, a woman of mixed Native American and African American ancestry, were charged with interracial marriage in Virginia in 1959.
The Lovings did leave Virginia to live in Washington D.C. for some time, but greatly missed their home and life in Virginia, so they made the brave decision to sue the state for their right to be legally married in the place that they called home.
Their story and courage made interracial marriage legal throughout the nation, and laid a path towards same-sex marriage equality decades later.
Martin’s civil right’s activism is believed to have been a strong catalyst towards interracial marriage equality. It is also worth mentioning that before his marriage to his beautiful wife Coretta, Martin did have an interracial relationship with a white woman named Betty Moitz when he was younger. Racial equality in various realms was absolutely a huge part of Martin’s life.
Focus Features
Selma (2014)
An obvious choice, but a great one no doubt- Selma by Ava DuVernay is one of the greatest movies reflecting Martin Luther King Jr.’s work. This film revolves around King’s campaign to equal voting rights in Montgomery Alabama in 1965, and also includes the 54 mile Selma to Montgomery marches.
The take for “Bloody Sunday” (the attack on peaceful protestors during the March 7, 1965 march on Edmund Pettus Bridge) is masterfully shot and acted. The viewers should feel the same horrors that people felt during that time as they watched the events unfold on the news.
There are also intimate moments with Martin that help dive into his personal life. A great film and great portrayal of King overall.
Paramount Pictures