Boycott (2001)

This excellent HBO film not only offers an opportunity to explore the origins of the Civil Rights Movement but also to examine non-violence – for some in the film a tactic, but for others, such as Bayard Rustin, a way of life. The filmmakers have been very careful in sticking close to the historical facts, far more than is the usual case.

When Ms. Rosa Parks is arrested, it is the Negro women, already organized as the Women’s Political Council, who determine this time to boycott the buses. We see Jo Ann Robinson (CC Pounder) late at night running off the flyers announcing the boycott and then aided by other women, distributing them to churches and individuals around the city.

The ups and downs of the struggle are all shown, including Dr. King’s becoming so fearful for the safety of his family that he starts carrying a gun tucked beneath his belt; the arrival of New Yorker Bayard Rustin, who both urges non-violence as a way of life and helps the locals see the national and international meaning and impact of what they are doing.