Film Culture and its Impact on Civil and Social Rights

Culture is referred as shared interaction, patterns, cognitive constructs, behaviors as well as effective understanding learned through socialization and transferred from one generation to the other. In the United States and outside the United States, films have become a powerful tool to transmit cultures. In 2009, there were more than 6.8 billion films released compared to the world population that was roughly the same number. Moreover, films have produced revenue of more than $30 billion annually, and its impact on films on people's behaviors is staggering. For example, many people across the world are imitating American culture by watching their movies. Moreover, films have become a powerful tool for propelling civil and social rights.[footnoteRef:1] The social civil rights are the class of rights and freedoms people demand from the government, private individuals or social organizations. Civil rights movements protect people from discrimination on the ground of gender, race, color, age, religion, and political affiliation. Moreover, civil right movement fights for the fundamental human rights that include freedom of speech, religion, and movement. However, many people do not know their rights especially the minorities. Films and social media have become the powerful vehicles that propel people to demand their rights. [1: The Role of Film in Society.]

Throughout the 20th century, African-Americans were treated as second-class citizens because of their historical antecedents with the general beliefs that they were forcibly brought from Africa and Caribbean as slaves. Thus, they were never treated equally with their white counterpart. During this period, African-Americans were stereotyped as being stupid, lazy, foolish, violent, cowards, animal-like and subhuman. In many occasions, the media had portrayed Black as sub-human. In the 20th century and early 21st century, African-Americans were portrayed with negative stereotypes in many American films, which reinforced white supremacy over the blacks. However, towards the middle of 21st centuries, the social media and many films had propagated that the negative treatments that minorities receive were unlawful. Through films and social media, increasing number of African-Americans, and other minority groups have become aware of their rights which consequently propel the civil and social right movements in the United States.[footnoteRef:2] [2: Berry, Erica F. A comparative study of African-American representations in films]

The objective of this study is to investigate how popular culture such as films or other media have assisted in propelling the civil and social rights.

Research Question

• How the Film titled "Boycott" assists in propelling the social and civil right movements in the United States?

• How the Film titled "Boycott" and "Selma" demonstrate the leadership ability of Martin Luther King in propelling the social and civil right movements in the United States?

Research Contribution

This study provides several contributions:

First, the study reveals how the films such as Boycott and Selma have provided a greater understanding of how African-Americans were able to gain their freedom through social and mass movements.

Moreover, the study has been able to solve the research problem that occurs through a paucity of the research on films that propel the social right movements.

In the early 21st century, the media and films set the tone for the images, values, and moral for the American culture. Culture is a tangible aspect of human society that is learned through socialization, and consists of acquired implicit and explicit pattern, ideas, attached values and behaviors transmitted to people and conditioned elements of behaviors and action. With the culture of films and media, many people started realizing that the degrading stereotypes they believed realistic were fictitious. Moreover, after a century of films making, the horrible stereotypes started to extinguish from the mind of people. After the Second World War, the racism was the urgent problem that America faced. During that period, racism affected all minority groups, and African-Americans were the major minority group during this time, and the group was affected by the racial discrimination than other minority groups.

Several factors awakened American against racism. Movies and films served as the major vehicles that awakened the spirit of American minorities against racism. In the 1960s, a large number of Americans were convinced that America was required to build a new society where the rich would no longer exploit the underprivileged, and where the White would no more exploit the minorities. In the 1960s, almost all households in the United States had at least one television, and many social activities take advantage of the television to voice against evil effects of racism because millions watch the effects through television. Black reporters also awakened the awareness of African-Americans providing the great stories about their rights. [footnoteRef:3] [3: Aucoin, James. The Evolution of American investigative journalism. Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 2007.]

Aucoin argued that films and television were the powerful tools that had a tremendous impact on social turmoil in the 60s. Based on the international events during the time, the American population no more having trusted in the government and their institutions. Thus, the journalists influence the social rebellions through their criticisms of the segregation laws. Moreover, the films have great influence on the American movement of social and civil rights. In the 1960s, increasing number of African-Americans were participating in movies. For example, the film "Birth of a Nation"[footnoteRef:4] produces a positive image of African-Americans. Moreover, the film "Who is Coming the Dinner" influences the social changes in the United States.[footnoteRef:5] [4: Wagner, Terry. "America's Civil Rights Revolution: Three Documentaries about Emmett Till's Murder in Mississippi (1955)." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television 30, no. 2 (2010): 187-201. doi:10.1080/01439681003779093.] [5: Ibid Wagner, Terry]

Berry contributed to the argument by pointing out that civil rights movement that occurred between 1955 and 1965 was aimed to abolish racial discrimination. Before the government imposed the equal rights, African-Americans were subjected to oppression with no voting rights. In the government services and public facilities, the domains of whites and black were separated. However, the black population lacked financial resources to fight for their rights. With the "Supreme Court victory of Brown v. Board of Education of 1954 that rejected separation of white and black school systems (11)"[footnoteRef:6] marked the beginning of civil and social right movements. However, this Supreme Court decision did not have immediate effects, nevertheless, it assisted in producing effects such as boycotts, and marches that marked the era of civil rights movements, and civil disobedience in the United States. For example, the bus boycott that happened in 1955 was designed to oppose the city's policy of segregation in the 1950s. The pressure from African-Americans to stop the segregation in the American society made the government to pass the "Civil Rights Acts of 1964" (11).[footnoteRef:7] [6: Berry, Erica F., "A Comparative Study of African-American Representations in Film from Original to Remake as Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement" (2009). Honors College. Paper 21.] [7: Ibid Berry Erica]

The "Birth of a Nation" was the first American film that set the motion for social and civil rights in the American history. The film has been used as a challenge the white supremacy and racism that was common in the American society.[footnoteRef:8] Anderson argues the film titled "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)",[footnoteRef:9] is one of the films that reflects the issue about the intermarriage. Typically, the film dealt with the issues such as racism between black and whites, and the film was released at the height of civil right movement when people were fighting for political social, and economic equalities. Moreover, the film demonstrates the action of social movement activist who took the issue of inter-racial marriage to court where the Supreme Court prohibited all the action preventing the intermarriage in the United States. Before the Supreme Court decision, the intermarriage was a taboo in the American community. According to the illustration in the film, it was the state of Virginia who banned the inter-racial marriage to prevent the blood of African-American and the blood of the White mixing together. However, with a lot of activism from the black leaders, the law preventing intermarriage was nullified in the American constitution. [8: Anderson, Katie. Film as a reflection of society: interracial marriage] [9: Ibid Anderson Katie]

The film titled "Selma" is the major film in the United States that reveals the civil rights combat of Martin Luther King. Typically, Selma is 2014 film that reveals the perspective of 1965 march of Martin Luther King. The film revealed the voting right movement of African-American, and the plot of the Selma film showed how four African-American girls were killed by the bomb because they attempted to register for a vote in Selma. In the film, Martin Luther King asked federal legislation to allow African-Americans to vote. However, Martin Luther with other leaders at Selma marched to the registration office in the town to register. Their action provoked a confrontation at registration office and Martin Luther King and others were arrested. The film also revealed how five African-American girls were killed in the church bombing. After the bombing, the King met President Lyndon Johnson and demanded the right to vote for the African-Americans. The voting right was justified because more than 50% of the residents of Selma were African-Americans, however, the white supremacy was embodied by Sheriff Jim Clark of Selma.

The Boycott is another American film produced in 2001 revealing how African-Americans have propelled the social and civil rights. The film illustrates the story of how African-Americans boycotted the Montgomery Bus between 1955 and 1956, and the film has won a Peabody Award because it does not allow the history to slip away.[footnoteRef:10] The synopsis of the film is as follows: [10: Monteith, Sharon. "Civil Rights Movement Film." The Cambridge Companion to American Civil Rights Literature: 123-42. doi:10.1017/cco9781107446618.009.]

In 1955, an African-American woman tried to occupy an empty seat labeled "White Only" in the Montgomery city bus. However, the driver of the bus prevented the woman from occupying the seat because according to the Bus Company policy, the Blacks were to fill the seats at the back, while the Whites should fill the seat in the front. Since the seat for the Black had been filled up, the woman attempted to take the vacant seat in the front, however, the racist's White driver harassed the woman, and prevented her from taking the seat. The issue sparked one of the major civil right movements in the United States. Thus, Boycott is a film that dramatizes the event that occurs during the Montgomery bus boycott leading to the arrest of the woman. The Black population resisted the arrest by taking the matter to the Supreme Court, and the Court prohibited segregation in the bus. However, the driver of the bus got the woman arrested which provoked the civil right movement in the Montgomery city. The woman used her connection with the black community to attract city-wide attention that provoked the boycott of the Montgomery city bus. The success of the boycott marked the victory for the African-American in the United States.

Montgomery to Memphis is a documentary film that demonstrates the civil rights movement in the United States. The film reveals the leadership quality of Martin Luther King's, and his non-violent strategy in assisting African-Americans to achieve civil and social rights in the United States. Through his civil right movements activities, Martin Luther King could gain both social and economic justice for African-Americans. Typically, this documentary film reveals his different civil right campaigns till the time he was assassinated.[footnoteRef:11] It was in the film that rhetoric words of freedom of Martin Luther King were displayed as follows: [11: Greenspun, Roger. "Movie Review: King A Filmed Record Montgomery to Memphis]

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood". I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice." (556)[footnoteRef:12] [12: Raymond, Walter John. Dictionary of politics: Selected American and foreign political and legal terms. Lawrenceville, VA: Brunswick, 1992.]

When Martin Luther King was also addressing the crowd he also made the similar words:

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today." (556)[footnoteRef:13] [13: Ibid Raymond, Walter John.]

Birth of Nation is another American film that focuses on the story of Nat Turner who led the slave in 1931 in Southampton County, Virginia. The synopsis of the film reveals how Nat Turner has been an instrumental for the uprising of the slaves in the South.[footnoteRef:14] Typically, the film had revealed the brutal racism that was the order of the in the American history. The film also revealed how the Whites were maltreating the Black population. During this period, the Blacks were being used as slaves in the plantations. [14: Chang, Justin. Sundance Film Review: 'The Birth of a Nation'". Variety. 2016.]

"The Rosa Parks Story" is another film that involves the civil right movement. Rosa Park was the woman who inspired the Boycott of the Montgomery Bus after she was arrested in 1955 because she refused to give up the seat that she occupied to a white man. According to her, a white seat in the front and black seats are in the back seat, however, if the seats at the front are all occupied, a black should relinquish the seat for the white and stand. The film demonstrated that the city bus during this period was used as a tool for segregation. Her ability not to relinquish her chair geared up many African-American into organizing civil and social movements. For example, the leaders of black communities initiated the bus boycott that lasted 11 months after Parks was arrested for violating the segregation law. However, the boycott was called off after the Supreme Court rules the bus segregation unconstitutional. The film promotes the image of Parks as a symbol of dignity who had used her strength to end the racial segregation.

The study uses the qualitative technique to collect data through primary research. The data are collected from different films that propel the civil and social rights. The data are collected from films that include are Selma, Boycott, Montgomery to Memphis, and "Rosa Parks: My Story". Moreover, the research collects the phrases and concepts from the films related to the social and civil rights to demonstrate how the films have enhanced a greater understanding of the civil and social right movements. Moreover, the study collects secondary data by exploring different research papers that reveal the films that propel the civil right movements. One of the benefits of the secondary data is that they are easily accessible and assist in achieving the research objective. However, the secondary data are not enough to complete the research without the primary data. By combining the primary data with the secondary data, the researcher is able to achieve the research objective and answer the research questions.

The coding is the qualitative inquiry that provides short phrases for the analysis.[footnoteRef:15] The coding is used to collect data from these films showing how the films can propel the social and civil rights. The coding assists in identifying the distinct concepts related to the research objective. In this particular project, the researcher is looking for the method the films have assisted in propelling the civil rights. Thus, the study focus on the texts that define the categories and concepts relevant to the research. [15: Salaana, Johnny M. The Coding manual for qualitative researchers. Place of publication: Sage, 2012.]

The study provides the phrases and concepts from the films such as Selma, Boycott, Montgomery to Memphis, and "Birth of a Nation" to reveal how the films have propelled the civil and social rights.

Selma

Several phrases in the Selma showing how the film propels the civil and social rights in the United States. In the film, David Oyelowo starred as Martin Luther King Jr. As being revealed in Table 1, Martin Luther was addressing the church congregation during the funeral of five African-Americans girls murdered when they were moving forward to register for the vote.

The study uses the Table 1 to present the results.

Table 1: Concepts Helped Propelling Civil Social Rights in Selma

Major categories

Associated concepts

Martin Luther King

• Every white law person abusing the law to terrorize.

• Every white politician feeding on hatred and prejudice.

• Who murdered Jimmie Jackson?

• Every Black man and woman standing without joining this fight since they brutalized their brothers and sisters are humiliated, ripped and brutalized from this Earth.

Martin Luther King

That means march!

That means protest!

That means disturbing the peace!

That means jail!

Martin Luther King

We are not waiting any longer

Give us our vote!

We are not asking!

We are demanding!

Give us our vote!

Martin Luther King

Mr. President, we need your total involvement!

Your job is to help us as citizens of this country! Citizens under attack!

Martin Luther King

We won't tolerate agitators

Martin Luther King

It is unacceptable!

They use their power at their disposal to keep us voiceless.

Martin Luther King

We negotiate!

We resist!

We demonstrate!

Martin Luther King

We must stand up for our right!

We must march!

Edgar Hoover

Mr. President

You can shut these men power down!

Unequivocally and permanently!

Martin Luther King

We must demonstrate massively!

Boycott

In the film Boycott, Jeffrey Wright starred as Martin Luther King

Table 2: Coding of Boycott

Major categories

Associated concepts

Martin Luther King

We should gain justice on the city buses

Martin Luther King

We are aimed to get the issue corrected

Martin Luther King

This issue is not new

Martin Luther King

Negroes had been humiliated and intimidated because they were Negroes

Martin Luther King

We are tired of the iron feet of oppression

Martin Luther King

We are gathering here this evening because we are now tired.

Martin Luther King

Our action now is to protest.

Edgar Hoover

We must struggle for our rights.

Martin Luther King

Segregation is enough

Martin Luther King

We must fight to end segregation

Table 3: Montgomery to Memphis

Major categories

Associated concepts

Martin Luther King

We started the bus protest that literally electrified the nation

Martin Luther King

The boycott was 99.99% effective

Martin Luther King

Let us fight unrelentingly and passionately for the justice and peace.

Martin Luther King

• Let's our hands are in the struggle.

• Let's never fight with violence, falsehood, hate and malice.

• Let's fight with love to make the walls of segregation be completely crumbled.

Martin Luther King

My friends.

Rise and struggle for justice

You are struggling alone

God always struggles with you.

Martin Luther King

Freedom is given through resistance

Privileged classes will never let go their privileges without a strong resistance.

Martin Luther King

I want our future generation to come in this world with new privileges.

Amy Goodman

King's house and his church were bombed in Alabama.

C.C. Owens

• I defy the ruling of the States Supreme Court that orders an end to segregation in public carriers.

• Per Alabama state law

• Race segregation on buses still holds.

• Our segregation laws must hold.

Police Commissioner (Clyde Sellers)

• As a commissioner of police

• I have issued order to make arrest if anybody violates segregation laws

• If I remain police commissioner, the segregation law in the city of Montgomery stands.

Martin Luther King

This morning,

I will like to know the long-awaited mandate.

That concern the segregation

Martin Luther King

• The mandate expresses crystal clear.

• That segregation in the city public transportation is both legally invalid and sociologically invalid.

• Based on this mandate, the protest is to be called off, and people to return using buses on a non-segregated basis.

Martin Luther King

• When I say, "You should not be afraid,"

• I mean: You should not be afraid to die.

• No man can be free he fears death.

• The minute you can surmount, you are free.

Martin Luther King

• It is saddened that racism is a way of life for White Americans.

• It is high time America get rid of racism.

• We should no more put our money on businesses that discriminate against Blacks.

Martin Luther King

If I would seek for our freedom in the city of Birmingham tonight

Martin Luther King

Birmingham is the city where segregation is well known.

Martin Luther King

We will win out freedom and uphold our sacred heritage of our nation.

Martin Luther King

We are demanding immediate desegregation in schools, and public institution.

Martin Luther King

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together." (556)[footnoteRef:16] [16: Op Cite Raymond, Walter John. ]

Martin Luther King

Let freedom ring.

Table 4: "Rosa Parks: My Story"

Major categories

Associated concepts

Rosa Parks

You should never be fearful and stand to what you know is right.

Rosa Parks

I believe in freedom and like to be remembered and known as the person who initiated the freedom.

Rosa Parks

I believe in equality, justice and freedom

Rosa Parks

Very long ago, I set my mind to be free person

Rosa Parks

The blacks did not have any civil rights