Theaters in Tulsa, Oklahoma, are reportedly set to screen a documentary about Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) on Friday as part of a “peaceful protest” of President Donald Trump’s campaign rally that will be held in the city the following day.
Magnolia Pictures, the producer of John Lewis: Good Trouble, will screen the documentary through the organization Circle Cinema on Juneteenth (June 19), the day marking the emancipation of American slaves, according to a report by Variety. “Our city is searching for ideas and ways to do peaceful protest of Trump,” said Circle Cinema film programmer Chuck Foxen to Variety. “This feels like a powerful way to celebrate the spirit and meaning of Juneteenth.”
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Foxen also mentioned that Circle Cinema will screen the film virtually, as well as in-person screenings, at 25 percent capacity, in order to help prevent the spread of the Chinese coronavirus.
Magnolia’s head of marketing and distribution Neal Block said the film is important because of the congressman’s personal history of protesting “institutional racism” and violence against black people, reports Variety. “We think John Lewis’ story is a crucial story to share with Tulsa audiences,” Block told the outlet. “Rep. Lewis has been at it for six decades, fighting for equality, and I’m sure he wishes he didn’t have to fight as hard as he still does. This film is sadly, depressingly still relevant at a time when this country is confronting issues of systemic racism.”
The report also bizarrely suggested that the location is noteworthy for protesting the president, as Tulsa was the site of a race massacre nearly a century ago, which has been referred to as “the single worst incident of racial violence in American history.”
The event in Tulsa on Saturday will be President Trump’s first campaign rally since the Chinese coronavirus pandemic hit the United States. The campaign says it will provide attendees with masks and hand sanitizer.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
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