Educational Media Reviews Online

“Marriage is a civil institution. And in a democracy, all civil institutions must be open to all who qualify.” -- Byron Rushing

This short but insightful documentary from award-winning filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris (Black Body (1999), That’s My Face (2001), Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela (2005)) offers a sneak preview into African American Massachusetts House of Representatives for the Ninth District representative, Byron Rushing. Rushing is a leading advocate for same-sex marriage as well as an instrumental lobbyist to end sexual orientation biases in public schools.

Elected to office in 1982, Rushing’s priorities lie in promoting human and civil rights, as well as improving the economic, social and political equality in and around the Boston, and Roxbury areas. Rushing’s strong policies for equal and social justice stem from his leadership and organizational involvement during his commitment to CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) in which he protested against busing and inequities in the education system. Hence, his activism, experience, and knowledge of civil and human rights date back to the 1960s.

However, Rushing’s legislative move to enact same-sex marriage is not embraced by all within his district. Although some black churches and African American leaders embrace his policy and ideology to advocate for same-sex marriage, numerous religious leaders reject his stance. To respond to the dissention from the religious community, Rushing delivers a poignant speech during a House session in which he states that if those who have forgotten the relationship between the political and secular society, if those who believe that the benefits of civil rights are solely to be kept within the African American community and are not be shared with others, then “shame on you.”

The film includes archival footage of the civil rights movement, photos of happily wedded GLBT couples, and numerous testimonies and accolades from city officials and humble civil servants detailing personal triumphs of how Rushing’s policies have impacted their lives.

The technical aspects of the film are good. It appears that the film was shot using a high definition camera, the audio is clear, and music composed by Vernon Reid is superb. This film will provide excellent discussion about African Americans in politics, and gender studies.

I highly recommend this title for high school, public, and academic library media collections.