Freedom Song (2000)

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Freedom Song was released on February 27, 2000, in the USA. The American film was produced by Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford. The film was written and directed by Stanley Weiser and Phil Alden Robinson. The movie was displaying how the African Americans struggle during the segregation era in the 1960s in Mississippi[1].

Plot

Will and Owen Walker[2]

Located in the small fictional town of Quinlan, Mississippi, in 1961, the Freedom Song took pace. The Black Power movement had made an impact across the country from cities to rural villages in southern America. Owen Walker who had a memory of experiencing prejudice and racism aspired to fight for African American rights as he saw the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was trying to change the segregation law that existed in Mississippi. While Owen had committed his time and life by volunteering in the SNCC to do sit-ins at public infrastructure in Mississippi like libraries, gas stations, and local businesses, he faced resistance from his father. His father had encountered what it felt like as civil rights activists and he did not want his children to strive with what he had to face before in fighting racism. Despite that, these father and son were persistent with their idealism and broke the relationship between both of them. In the end, Owen and SNCC coalition succeeded attaining the voting rights for African Americans but with an expensive price where many African Americans died and his communities were assaulted and humiliated by the segregationists[3].

Black Empowerment

Will and Owen possess the resolution to fight racism on their own. While Will was younger in the 1950s, he would confront the segregationists, he could organize the African American community to do the demonstration against the city. He could aspire people to struggle in obtaining equality and justice for African Americans. He inspires Owen that he will get the same position as the white people. When he points to the "Whites Only" seat, he says to Owen "You're going to sit in there someday, son"[4]. Despite Will had lost his patience to fight racism, the passion eventually falls down to his son, Owen, by committing to fighting racism non-violently. Owen and his friends joined the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the hope of making the changes for African Americans to have Voting Rights and equality[5]. After months of protest, Owen and his colleagues including Mr. Wall, the SNCC organizer, are arrested. At the time Owen is since their campaign does not seem to make a progress however, Mr. Wall reminds Owen that they have lit the flame of the civil rights movement as he says "So when you walked out of that school, you just didn't make a march. You picked up a torch. Now other folks have seen your light And they're coming here to carrying it because you can't right now. And if they go to jail too, other folks will pick up their torch someplace else. So you're not on your own, Owen. You're part of something bigger than you. You're part of the movement.". In the end, they have brought many organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Freedom Riders, which came from the North to the South to stop the segregation of Voting rights[6]

Controversy

As shown in the film, the segregationists are cruel to African Americans. They do not hesitate to beat children if the children break the segregation policy. For instance, when Owen was a kid, he went into the "white only" diner without knowing anything as he was only 5 years old. However, humiliate Owen in public. Also, they do harass African American families and communities by threatening, assaulting their houses, and lynching. Like when Will just registers his voting rights, his house where he, his wife, and Owen live were shot at night by Klansmen. His business goes bankrupt as the segregationists boycott his business till nobody would buy any product from his store. Ultimately, they shot and killed African Americans while the SNCC and the protesters ask for voting rights[7].

References

  1. Freedom Song (2000). IMDb. Retrieved January 23 2021
  2. Will and Owen Walker. Dove Foundation. Retrieved January 23 2021
  3. Ohil Boatwright. Freedom Song Dove Foundation. Retrieved January 23 2021
  4. Ed Mcnulty. Freedom Song (2000) Visual Parables. Retrieved February 03 2021
  5. Laura Fries. Freedom Song Variety. Retrieved January 23 2021
  6. Movie Reviews: Freedom Song Blackflix. Retrieved February 03 2021
  7. Kenneth Turan. Freedom Song (film) Wikipedia. Retrieved January 23 2021]