No Easy Walk Analysis

“No Easy Walk” is the third of fourteen episodes in the PBS documentary series Eyes on the Prize. The executive producer and creator of the series is Henry Hampton. The purpose of this series of episodes is to document what happened during the Civil Rights era 1954 through the mid 1980s. Episode three focuses specifically on the years 1961-1963: it focuses on the civil rights movements in Albany, Georgia — Birmingham, Alabama — and the Walk on Washington in Washington D.C.. This episode goes into great detail about the struggles, losses, and wins that the African Americans faced in these three cities. Thus, its focus is about the blacks from 1961-1963. Henry Hampton, shares views from both those who supported racial equality and those who disagreed …show more content…
This section shows newspaper clippings and drawings from around the world about the U.S. civil rights movement and police brutality. In this section, the film is successful in documenting this time by playing blacks singing music in church. The music and the video of these people singing raises emotion in the viewer and subtly slips in opinion on the author’s part. The film documents King’s campaign in Birmingham. In addition, the textbook also mentions this campaign on page 734. Both the film and the textbook discuss the ways in which black demonstrators were attacked by police. However, the film does a better job of providing evidence because it includes sufficient support using videos of the black demonstrators being attacked by dogs and children hosed down with fire hoses. The film provides elaboration on the Birmingham campaign showing King in jail, protesters marching, children picketing because their parents must work, and blacks and whites interviewed about the racial activities going on in Birmingham at this time. Conversely, the textbook provides a short summary of this event. Nonetheless, both sources stress the importance of MLK’s campaign and explain the impact the civil rights movement in that city had on the world. The textbook stresses how paramount it was that these “brutalities that television [broadcasted] around the world” were shared outside the city and the country …show more content…
Choosing to focus on two big cities and then, at the end, on the Walk on Washington, Hampton provides an effective perspective into the past. The film never invites the idea that what is being shared are the only events that took place during the early 1960s. Rather, the episode successfully focuses on three topics (places) which generates a clear historic picture altogether. The documentary is also effective because Hampton incorporates people of white and black races being interviewed. Including views from both sides of the event, minimizes opinion. The comprised videos, newspaper clips, and pictures are effective; however, it is important to note that the creator of the film did select which pieces to include in the film giving bias to this episode. The fact is, Hampton was able to develop a relatively unbiased historical view of the civil rights movements in Albany, Birmingham, and Washington D.C.. Now, the video is captivating. It educates about the Civil Rights Movement, and while it can be hard to watch at certain points, the presentation of facts credits the documentary. The film is made stronger by the narrator not talking the whole time. The use of actual evidence and information to document the movement provides context and contingency. Both C’s are difficult to achieve but this documentary comes close to attaining both. Along with this, the music in the film