The Issue of Mr. O’Dell
Catalogue Number: AK0000
Producer: Rami Katz
Producing Agencies: Rami Katz
Subject: Black History, Criminal Justice & Law, Documentary, History, Politics, Social Issues, Social Sciences, Social Studies, Sociology
Language: English
Grade Level: 9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Country Of Origin: Canada
Copyright Year: 2018
Running Time: 34:27
A documentary examining the lifelong work of a pioneering civil rights organizer, Jack O’Dell, who was a close colleague and advisor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A former member of the Communist Party, O’Dell was followed by the FBI, labelled the number-five Communist in America by President Kennedy, and was eventually forced out of King’s organization.
In the film, Jack O’Dell eloquently speaks to issues concerning the civil rights movement, both with respect to his historical involvement and to contemporary movements such as Black Lives Matter. O’Dell passed away in 2019 at the age of ninety-six, after this film was completed.
Winner: President's Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival '18
Winner: Best International Short, Baltimore International Black Film Festival '18
"[A] personal and humanizing portrait" - Pat Mullen, POV Magazine
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