In October 2015, America celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Million Man March in Washington, D.C. In attendance were males and females, young and old, celebrities, and a host of other races, colors, and creeds, who showed up to raise awareness of the dehumanization of people of color in America.
I was nine years old at the time of the first Million Man March, which took place in 1996. I started researching footage of the march, and I was really enlightened by a piece by ABC. There were sound bites, (The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan (1:29-1:44), shots of how the attendees arrived to Washington, D.C. (3:02-3:21), reactions (3:22-3:42), and the bigger picture moving forward (5:10-6:08).
Fast forward to today; there were a few interviews which accomplished the same goal, and maybe even more. Farrakhan gave an emotionally-charged interview (4:55-5:55) that I felt was excellent, because he was a great subject. Farrakhan was passionate, outspoken, and controversial. The interviewer did a great job being prepared to ask Farrakhan great questions to prompt such reactions. In addition, Roland Martin, host of NewsOne Now, brought forth a panel of African-American people where he encouraged reflection and communication about what is needed for us as a nation to move forward (1:40-2:40).
These pieces inspire me to establish strong narratives in my own work. Part of that is seeking out good subjects, while another is asking the right questions and knowing how to connect with my interviewee in such a way that they will answer them authentically. These keys were especially important in the Farrakhan interview, which was one in a style I hope to be able to replicate in the future.
I was actually in DC when the Million Man March happened this year, and I saw almost no coverage of it there either, so your point is well taken. Even more troubling, I heard at least one (white) person describe it as a “riot”, which raises a host of troubling questions about how social movements are framed and perceived in our country.