The Issue of Mr. O'Dell (2018)

This movie examines the lifelong work of a pioneering African-American civil rights activist, Jack O'Dell, who was once a member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), where he worked alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. A former member of the Communist Party, O'Dell was followed by the FBI and was eventually forced out of King's organization. At 94 years of age at the time of the film's release, O'Dell speaks to issues concerning the civil rights struggle, both with respect to his historical involvement and to its contemporary incarnation under the stewardship of groups like Black Lives Matter. A prominent left-wing organizer within the Civil Rights Movement, O'Dell eloquently comments on contemporary forms of racism and inequality in America. Jack O'Dell passed away in 2019 at the age of ninety-six, after this film was completed.