Some Black History Month Reading For You

Yes, it’s mine.

Black history month starts today, but I also write about Black people during all the other months we exist. You should see what we get up to in March!

Florida public schools probably don’t teach this, but Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X were both Black. National Geographic TV explores the lives of these civil rights leaders in the fourth season of its biographical anthology drama Genius. The first two episodes premiere tonight at 9 p.m. and stream next day on Hulu.

I had the opportunity to watch the series in advance. Here’s an excerpt from my review, which you can read in full at Primetimer:

MLK/X depicts the wide range of foes who were dedicated to stopping King’s work, truly by any means necessary. Donal Logue in particular stands out as a seething Senator Strom Thurmond, who shares a Jim Crow-era Southern gentleman’s familial comfort with Black people just so long as they keep “in their place.” Later, having abandoned a Democratic Party he feels betrayed men like him, he declares, “The Republican Party will come to represent all the values that make America great.” That might’ve once seemed over-the-top but it hits much differently today.

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Once you’ve read the review or watched the episodes, feel free to swing back here and post your thoughts.

Oh, and new subscribers should check out my MLK Day post, as I think it’s especially relevant right now.

That’s it for now, but I’ll see you tomorrow with something thrilling.

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