April 01, 2012

the movie "mississipi burning"




a very powerful clip from one of my most liked films 'mississippi burning'. in early 1990s, when this movie was running in sterling theatre in bombay. i watched it 6 times at that very theatre. this movie is one amongst a few things which has helped me enormously in strengthening my sense of what is just and unjust in the world...

in the video clip above, the black man is saying:

They want me to say, "Let us not forget that two white boys also died helping negros help themselves." They want me to say, "We mourn with the mothers of these two white boys." But the state of Mississippi won't even allow these white boys to be buried in the same cemetary as this negro boy. I say, "I have no more love to give! I have only anger in my heart today, and I want you to be angry with me! That I am sick and I am tired, and I want You to be sick and tired with me! I..I..I am sick and tired of going to the funerals of black men who have been murdered by white men! And I..I am sick and tired of the people of this country who continue to allow these things to happen!" What is an unalienable right if You are a negro? What does it mean, "equal treatment under the law"? What..what does it mean, "liberty and justice for all"? Now I say to these people, "Look at the face of this young man, and You will see the face of a black man. But if You look at the blood shed, it is red! It is like yours! It is just like yours!"