Announcement: Maysles Cinema And Harry Belafonte Kick Off King Screenings

By Andrea Plaid

Like White Dog that came after it, certain zeitgeist-capturing movies like King: A Filmed Record From Montgomery To Memphis simply disappear. Unlike White Dog, King disappeared on purpose.

The documentary, which chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King’s ascent and assassination, was initially released as a one-time only event back in 1970. It contains not only archival footage, but also dramatic readings by screen legends James Earl Jones, Ruby Dee, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Racialicious Crush alum Harry Belafonte, who was also King’s confidante.

As the adage goes, time changes things: to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and King’s iconic “I Have A Dream” speech, Harlem’s Maysles Cinema (in full disclosure: I work there) and the Documentary Forum at City College of New York kicks off a series of national screenings of King–and Belafonte will appear live at a post-screening panel!

So, if you’re in NYC, check out the screening and the panel! Both take place this Sunday, February 17, at the Church of the Intercession, located at 550 W. 155th Street and Broadway. The screening starts at 4PM, and the panel–moderated by DJ Spooky–starts at 7:15PM. You can purchase your tickets and find out more info about the event here.

Maysles Cinema is also offering four free tickets to the screening and the panel to two lucky people (two tickets per person) who can answer this question:

The March on Washington was organized by a brilliant political strategist and activist who was seen by Civil Rights leaders as a liability–and subsequently erased from a lot of Civil Rights history–because he was openly gay. What’s the activist’s name, and what is is the name of the 2003 documentary about his life?

The first two people to answer the questions in this post’s comment section win! Good luck, and see you this Sunday!

ETA: Hey everyone–thanks so much for interest! The full answer to the question is…

1) Bayard Rustin

2) Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin.

Congrats to Racializen Jessica Medina, who answered both parts of the question correctly! Jessica, please email me at andrea@racialicious.com for details on how to get your tickets for Sunday’s event.

Racializens…there’s still a pair of tickets left! So, the first person to fully answer this one by tomorrow at noon gets the other two tickets. Check it out:

As I mentioned in the main post, Mr. Belafonte is a Racialicious Crush alum. Which song did I mention is my favorite of his, and which movie did I mention made the song famous again?

Good luck, and happy answer-searching!

Another ETA: Congrats to Joyce Tesar, who got the answer right to the second question! The answer:

1) the song is “Jump in the Line,” and

2) the movie that made the song famous again is Beetlejuice.

Joyce, please email me at andrea@racialicious.com, and I’ll tell you how to get your tickets! Thanks for participating, and I hope Jessica and Joyce enjoy the doc and Mr. Belafonte!