Jelani Cobb and Co-Executive Producer Tracy Ellis discuss the film and its implications for a modern America.

Doctor Martin Luther King Junior was a universally recognized Civil Rights Activist. He remains the face of the nonviolent civil rights movement and an American hero. However, some of his later views brought on an astonishing amount of criticism from both sides. King in the Wilderness, a documentary film that premiered this year,  describes a time in King’s life rarely discussed in contemporary praise of the activist. New Bwogger Sophie Murphy attended the screening and the Q&A which followed.

After a Starbucks pitstop and a Mamma Mia jam session on the walk to 129th street, I was ready to learn about a new side of Martin Luther King, Jr. I, like many Americans, had a simplified and incomplete image of MLK before attending this event. I thought of his “I Have a Dream” speech and the march from Selma to Montgomery and put him on a saintlike plane. My perception didn’t leave much room for humanity.

The Institute for Research in African-American Studies and the Columbia Journalism School co-presented King in the Wilderness at the Lenfest Center for the Arts. A discussion between co-executive producer Tracy Ellis and celebrated journalist and historian Professor Jelani Cobb followed.

The film documents King’s life in the years before his murder, when widespread adoration for the activist waned and controversy flourished. Interviews with King’s friends and fellow activists such as Harry Belafonte, Diane Nash, and Andrew Young help to piece together a fascinating and humanizing account of King in his struggle to continue improving America in the years after his more famous accomplishments.

King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), after the Civil Rights bills signed into law by President Johnson in 1964 and 1965, set out on a new mission to rid America of poverty and war. King’s unequivocal commitment to nonviolent protest conflicted with the growing frustration of young activists like Stokely Carmichael, who later changed his name to Kwame Ture and was one of the first to cultivate the phrase “black power”.

In an effort to go beyond the American South in their mission of equality, the SCLC went to Chicago to help combat rampant poverty and housing segregation. Led by King, the Chicago Freedom movement advocated for integrated housing. The film documents the white supremacy and violent racism glaringly present in the supposedly tolerant north and the minimal success of the freedom movement. Today, the legacy of redlining persists in Chicago and de facto segregation is in place, reminding our generation how important it is to carry on the fight for equality.

Martin Luther King, Jr. continued a streak of controversy when he could no longer keep silent about his opinion on the Vietnam War. After a period of intense consideration, in no uncertain terms, he condemned American involvement in Vietnam, alienating many who had previously supported him, including President Johnson. Backlash against his fiery speech came not only from the public, but also from the government. The FBI under J. Edgar Hoover began surveilling King’s phone conversations and movements, citing him as a potential communist and therefore threat to America.

Meanwhile, racial tensions were reaching a boiling point, and riots erupted across the nation. King was dismayed by this violent destruction that he saw as unproductive. In the months leading up to his death, King’s conviction faltered as he slid into a depression partially caused by the criticism raining down on him and the tensions in the country. He had lost the abundant popular support he enjoyed in the early sixties. Though disheartened, King persisted in his mission to make the world a better place, and focused the SCLC on combating poverty across all racial lines. He was in Memphis advocating for this cause when he was murdered on April 4, 1968.

King in the Wilderness did a fantastic job of taking Martin Luther King off of his pedestal while still honoring the incredible man he was. It was clear through Ellis’ interviews of King’s fellow activists just how intelligent, charismatic, moral, and driven they knew him to be. He had fears and flaws, but they didn’t hinder his mission and his vision for the world. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy lives on in myriad ways, perhaps most importantly in his example of constant awareness of society’s failings and what needs to be done to remedy them and move towards justice.

The discussion after the screening between Ellis and Cobb was an interesting insight into the actual making of the movie, though it inevitably veered towards America’s current racial and political climate and how it applies to MLK’s legacy. Too many problems America had fifty years ago live on today. My main takeaway from the discussion is how important it is for us as citizens to remember our power. It can feel impossible to make a positive change in the face of so much negative rhetoric but Trey Ellis reminded me that there is always something you can do, no matter how small. King in the Wilderness was an illuminating and deeply moving film that combined the poignant past with a grim present to leave viewers with a sense of urgency for action.

Photo via Bwog Staff