One Night In Miami is a 2020 film directed by Regina King. It is adapted from a 2013 stage play of the same name written by Kemp Powers. The historical drama recounts a night in 1964 when four African American icons, Muhammad Ali, Malcolm X, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke, meet in a hotel room in Miami. The narrative is intertwined with familiar historical events, and the audience is left to imagine if the dialogue is grounded in reality or totally fabricated.
In an early scene, Jim Brown, considered one of the greatest football players of all time, visits his hometown in Georgia. Immediately, I questioned how loosely the story relates to actual events. I have always thought my home town, Manhasset, New York, was Brown's childhood home. A banner and a plaque are displayed at the Manhasset High School gym celebrating his athletic prowess as a student. A town park is also named in his honor.
Jim Brown, back row center, with Manhasset High School baseball team
With skepticism, I paused the movie and went on Wikipedia. To my surprise, I learned that Brown was born in St. Simons Island, Georgia, and moved to Manhasset when he was eight years old. I imagined that he might have frequently visited his extended family in Georgia while living in New York. In any case, I continued watching the film with increased curiosity.
At the time of the Georgia visit, Brown is an NFL star, having completed the greatest season ever as a running back. He meets with a family friend, Mr. Carlton, at the wealthy white man's plantation. On Carlton's porch, the elderly man is extremely welcoming and shows great admiration for Brown's athletic accomplishments. However, when Brown offers to help him move some furniture inside his home, Carlton responds by matter of factly saying that they "don't allow n*****s in the house." Brown is left speechless as Regina King sets the scene for the central theme of the movie. She delves into the complexities confronting successful African American entertainers in a racist society.
How can a white man who admires a black celebrity still be a racist? In the film, Malcolm X confronts this paradox as he argues with Sam Cooke. The civil rights activist criticizes the musician for catering to a racist white audience. Malcolm X contends that bigots love Cooke's music but do not respect him as a man. He believes that Cooke should use his fame to fight for social justice. Perhaps Cooke's fans can be enlightened to question their racist views. Or, at the very least, Cooke can inspire those who already seek racial equality.
The contradiction between admiration and bigotry has not disappeared since the 1960s. In 2016, this apparent paradox was brought to public attention by Colin Kaepernick. In the iconic moment, the African American NFL quarterback kneeled during the playing of the national anthem. Kaepernick wanted to protest police brutality against blacks while honoring those who served in the military. For his stance, Kaepernick was essentially banned by the NFL. No team owners were willing to hire a quarterback who, only three years earlier, led his team to the Super Bowl. Many felt that the owners were influenced by the predominantly white fans who were angered by Kaepernick's "unpatriotic" stance. But is it possible that at least some detractors accept black athletes only if they are relegated to second class status?
Colin Kaepernick (from chicagotribune.com)
A devout racist probably could not bear watching any minority succeed. But what if they are only a little racist? Maybe they prefer white athletes or musicians but have no specific animosity towards blacks. If they are a bit more racist, the bigots will only tolerate black celebrities if they are "kept in their place" or if they just “shut up and dribble.” Suppose someone is even more racist in the bigotry spectrum. In that case, there needs to be more tangible evidence that the blacks they admire are being mistreated, maybe like in college football, for instance.
There is no litmus test to quantify the prevalence of racism among college football fans. However, the most popular league is the Southeastern Conference (SEC). And most of the SEC schools are located in states that fought for slavery during the Civil War and against civil rights reform in the 1960s. Many of their fans are children or grandchildren of segregationists. To think that racism has been eradicated in two generations would be naive. And they love college football.
The SEC's premier team is the University of Alabama, having won 18 national titles in its storied history. As Alabama's fans proudly boast of their athletic achievements, they should never forget their racist past.
In an infamous speech in 1963, Alabama governor George Wallace declared: "Segregation today! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!" Later that year, Wallace literally blocked the University of Alabama doors to prevent African American students from desegregating the school. Not surprisingly, their football team did not admit their first black players, John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson, until 1971. Legend has it that the famed Alabama coach Bear Bryant had a change of heart after getting trounced by an integrated University of Southern California team in 1970. Subsequently, the team may have lost its most devout racist fans. But perhaps, the fans were ready for a change, desperate to move on from the state's racist past. Or possibly, bigots approved of black college athletes because they were merely unpaid employees working to benefit the traditionally white institution. Some, including African American sports journalist Kevin Blackistone, have compared college athletics to slavery. If Blackistone's assertion is true, a racist would have no problems embracing college sports dominated by black athletes.
Alabama governor George Wallace standing in front of an entrance to the
University of Alabama to block black students from integrating the school,
June 11, 1963 (from wikipedia.org)
Systemic racism remains a visible scar in the American experience. However, as Martin Luther King Jr. has said, "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." America has inched slightly closer to equality since Colin Kaepernick in 2016. Professional athletes can now kneel during the National Anthem without the threat of being unemployed. It may have taken George Floyd's death to shed light on Kaepernick's plea, but a platform for the protest was restored.
After concluding the events depicted during the eponymous night in 1964, Regina King shows Sam Cooke on a TV show singing "A Change Is Gonna Come." According to Wikipedia, he sang the iconic civil rights song on February 7, 1964, several weeks BEFORE the night depicted in the movie. But the primary goal of the film is not to chronicle accurate historical detail. It presents theoretical debates between African American giants during the 1960s civil rights movement. One Night in Miami addresses the role of successful people from marginalized groups in fighting for those who are less fortunate. Regina King presents a compelling narrative that helps to define the continuing struggle for racial justice.
Andrew’s Grade: B
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