Injustice In The Long Walk Home

Two noteworthy films seen in class were Machine Gun Preacher and The Long Walk Home both films surrounding racism and the power of religious quest. While watching these films the audience can compare the methods used for protests in each film to Malcolm X’s use of active social injustice by following the motto “by any means necessary”. Unlike Malcolm X fighting for the social injustice of his own race, Machine Gun Preacher and The Long Walk Home portray white protagonists fighting on behalf of a race that is not their own. Machine Gun Preacher introduces the protagonist Sam Childers a recently released prisoner that is verbally and physically abusive towards his wife and family. Childers is lost, naïve, and addicted to drugs but then goes

For example, Odessa’s middle child Franklin Cotter must face three white teenage boys who aggressively beat him up. Each punch they lay on Franklin, he clenches his fists and releases them. This is significant because Franklin is standing his guard but avoiding the use of violence. “Although he did not advocate the aggressive use of force, he adamantly affirmed that violence was entirely justified in self-defense: ‘Never be the aggressor,’ he told his listeners, ‘but if anyone attacks you, we do not teach you to turn the other cheek.” (Malcolm X, 214). Franklin was not the aggressor however he also did not resort to violence in means of self defense because he wanted to prove that he could stand his ground. The Long Walk Home had several characters that dealt with racism in the same means that Malcolm X did, both movies showed black men that were seen as criminals to white men because of their skin color. Each movie emphasized the harassment white people acted upon black people. In order for the characters in The Long Walk Home to adjust to their struggles, they found faith or friendship to keep them strong. For Odessa she continually went to church and listened to the preacher who inspired her to not ride the bus and continue walking home every day after work, no matter how much her feet hurt. Miriam’s friendship to Odessa kept her mind open and fired her need to rebel against her

His ideals of increasing black freedom and reducing white supremacy are ideal. Although both films portray a white protagonist to aide black people, the message behind each movie is that white people are not meant to lead but to provide assistance during this revolution. Sam Childers’ participates with the intentions to build respect, understanding and actually helping those in need. Childers’ does not look at these orphans he is seeing as “black children” but just children in general that need help from the LRA. Miriam is not helping black people get a ride home, but tired people get home safely after work. Color is important during this movement and highly significant because it addresses the racism issue seen in America even today. The goal of both films is to help a race that is being severely oppressed get their god given right of coexisting in peace. Each film introduced a complex topic that I had to understand and tie into my morality complex. Many individuals may see Childers’ as a man guilty of being white, try to fix it through a “white savior complex”. Whatever the reason, Childers’ is solely saving these children based on faith and good intuition. The Long Walk Home views the Civil Rights Movement through a black and white perspective. This can easily tie into the work Malcolm X has done to ensure black