It is February, a month of Black History and one of love. A mother’s love for their child is one that can never be broken. Even if there are moments without contact, the love always exists. A documentary that premiered in 2021, but one that I had not seen until recently is The People v. The Klan. It gives the story of Michael Donald who was brutally beaten and lynched in Alabama in 1981. The mother he left behind fought a great fight to get justice for his murder. This eventually led to her bringing a case to the Klan who have been responsible for many lynchings in the U.S history.
My favorite subject in school was history and I always enjoyed watching documentaries and reading books on real people. I knew of Michael Donald but did not know the full details of the story. This 4-episode documentary gives the accounts of the family and others connected to the case. It also tied in the stories of Emmett Till and the 4 Little Girls killed in the Alabama church bombing.
Since 1981, we have heard of many cases of Black men and women losing their lives based on discrimination. Then you hear the stories of the mother’s who fought for justice. In cases involving Breonna Taylor and Philando Castille, justice was not served. In the case of Michael Donald it was. The men were convicted, but Michael never got to come back to life. That pain lives forever and with that heartbreak it makes it hard to go on. Watching this documentary brought tears to my eyes at moments and is a story that should continue to be told. It was only in 2022, an anti-lynching law was created in the U.S. I hope you get a chance to check it out and learn something that is part of our Black history. Below are some of the different networks to watch it on.
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/09/us/how-to-watch-the-people-v-the-klan/index.html
https://tv.apple.com/us/show/the-people-v-the-klan/umc.cmc.5mnqcgkog7hw3p2dyi168w3vp
https://www.max.com/shows/people-v-the-klan/fb39e51c-bb54-4f9a-919e-de9f695a8cfd
https://www.discoveryplus.com/show/the-people-v-the-klan-us
https://www.cnn.com/2021/04/10/us/michael-donald-case-timeline/index.html
I haven’t watched this documentary but, I will be sure to watch it with the boys.