When I was in elementary school in Columbus, Mississippi, one memory stands out that continues to have a lasting impact in my life: the first time I watched the animated film “Our Friend, Martin.” Little did I know that this movie would have such a great influence on me, not just as a student but as an individual shaped by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy.
Watching “Our Friend, Martin” as a fourth grader in 2009, I experienced something entirely new to me: a personal kinship with a figure of profound historical importance whose actions still resonate in the world today.
The scene that left the most lasting impression was young Martin’s ride on a segregated train. The film unfolds as a time-traveling journey by two young boys to pivotal points in Dr. King’s life, and watching those characters experience racism firsthand aboard the train helped me understand the significant progress that had been made. Growing up in Columbus, I had never personally encountered racism, and seeing a scene depicting such discrimination in the South made me realize how much things have improved.
Though “Our Friend, Martin” is now more than 25 years old, having gone straight to video in 1999, it has proved to be an enduring way to educate children about the Civil Rights Movement and the importance of racial equality and nonviolence. For students who may be making important life decisions at a very young age, it illustrates the power of one individual to bring about positive change by highlighting the sacrifices MLK made for future generations. Seeing the butterfly effect of his actions made me realize how different the present would be without King’s dedication to the Civil Rights Movement.
Like the main character in the film, whose name is Miles, many people today underestimate the significance of what King accomplished. They mostly sum him up as simply a man who did good, and as a result, we now have a holiday to celebrate him. Anyone who watches “Our Friend, Martin” will recognize precisely how different the world would be without his efforts. The movie sparked my own curiosity about the wider context of the movement and prompted me to learn more about King’s fight for equality and justice. It served as a guide.
I’m not alone in seeing the film’s enduring value, and the potential for learning lessons by going back and forth in time.
Danielle Spencer, a guidance counselor with the West Point, Mississippi school district, believes schools should continue to screen “Our Friend, Martin” in the classroom because it provides a valuable tool for telling King’s story – and the meaning behind MLK Day -- in a way that a more straightforward documentary might not. “Our Friend, Martin,” helps students connect emotionally to historical events, fostering empathy, awareness and discussions about social justice, equality and nonviolence, she observed.
After so many years, interviewing “Miss Spencer,” as we called her back then, when she was my counselor in seventh and eighth grades, was unexpectedly enlightening. She is deeply knowledgeable about history, and as a counselor, went above and beyond to provide students with resources, including books and the space to promote learning. Her insights were invaluable to me in understanding the significance of “Our Friend, Martin” in educating young minds, and she feels strongly that it should still be shown in schools.
Through the main characters’ time travel, the film breaks down those pivotal moments in King’s life, making his journey to becoming an activist approachable and comprehensible. It realistically portrays racism and exposes students to instructive moments during different eras in American history, in the context of King’s journey. By placing them within King’s world, it brings to life his message of equality and nonviolence and instills in students the possibilities for contributing to positive change.
As a result, “Our Friend, Martin” is important not only during Black History Month or on MLK Day, but as a core educational tool.
Watching it now, a quarter century after its release, is in some ways another form of time travel, yet it continues to resonate.
“The film emphasizes values that have remained significant to me as I grow and progress in life,” observed Kaitlyn Vance, an 11th grader at West Point High School. “The ending reminds me of the importance of continuing the work of Martin, no matter what career path I choose in the future.”
Levon Campbell III is a graduate of Jackson State University and a multimedia journalist.
Image: Screencap from “Our Friend, Martin”
It may have had a great influence on you, but other children are experiencing severe curriculum trauma—especially Black boys. Notice how academic performance and behavioral issues shift right around the time young kids are forced to watch people who look like them undergo graphic, historical violence under the guise of education.
We do not force Jewish children to watch explicit, animated recreations of concentration camps in elementary school to teach the Holocaust. Their communities don't trauma-dump on their own children because they protect their psychological safety. Yet, our children are fed endless loops of Jim Crow, slavery, and historical abuse.
Stanford researchers and child psychologists have proven that this creates reality-based PTSD in developing minds. A child's nervous system, mind, and heart are infinitely more important than a traumatic movie. We can teach history, resilience, and boundaries through empowerment and strategy, not by terrorizing our own kids. Figure out better ways to educate, and show them you actually care about their mental well-being."