Movie "The Great Debaters"

“The Great Debaters”

            “The Great Debaters” directed and starring by Denzel Washington appears at first viewing, to be a movie about a famous debate team, from Willey College, a black college in Texas during the Great Depression.  When studied father the movie is more complex and has relevance for us today.  This is a story about education, love and hope within black students during the 1930’s. These values are the most important quality for religious, non-religious and sociological values even today.

The movie starts with the prayer “Heavenly Father, we come before Thee knee bent and body bowed in the humblest way that we know how. Father, who controls and knows all things, both the living and dying of all creatures.Give us the strength and the wisdom to do the work. In God’s name we pray…. Amen”.

 This beautiful prayer of a black slave reminds us that every living creature is created by God. And that only God has the power and ability to give and take life away from us.

In God eyes, people are equal, no matter what their skin color, religion or  beliefs are. God teaches us that we have to love our brothers and sisters in the same way that he loves us. It does not matter if a person’s beliefs are different from ours. They are still the creation of God.

Professor Tolson is a very well educated man, who has dedicated his time, passion and life to mentoring young black students how  to  ignore discrimination in their lives, but he is also a fighter for better lives and workplace for black workers and civil rights activist.

As a great mentor, and dedicated teacher Professor Tolson inspired his students to believe in themselves, their ability and their strength, but most of all truth and honesty. He reminds them that only God is the judge who will decide who loses or who wins. He tries to encourage his students to tell only the true and not to be afraid of their opponents because they don’t exist. The truth is very important in religious, non-religious and sociological values. Professor Tolson knows that by telling the truth and being honest and being brave rather than ignorant and killing that some day they will be able to bring freedom for their society as well as themselves.

By taking them under his wings, Professor Tolson showed them how to break the lines of inequality and ignorance they faced every day.

Tolson as well as Pastor Farmer believe that education is the key to success, and they both help these young students to achieve their goals. They both know that only people who are well educated are able to make good decisions in life, love other people and accept others’ differences and beliefs. These students will also be able to  fight poverty and discrimination because they have been a part of it. As Pastor Farmer put it, so eloquently in his sermon;

” We are the most privilege people in America, because we have the most important job in America; the education of our young people. We must impress upon our young people that there will be difficulties that they face. They must defeat them! They must do what they have to do in order to do what they want to do. Education is the only way of out of ignorance. The way out of darkness! Into the glorious light”.

This exactly education and knowledge Pastor speaks about will help the black debaters to defeat their opponents and show them that the only difference between them is their skin color.

 Also hope plays a very important role in this movie, especially for the members of the black society who is fighting for freedom while facing discrimination and death in their own lives.  While watching the movie we can see their struggles when they face beatings, even lynching although they haven’t done anything wrong. During the movie we become witnesses to two racial incidents. One happens to Pastor Farmer and his family on their way home, when he accidently killed a pig. The owner a white male yelled in anger at Pastor Farmer and even threatens him with a gun. The Pastor’s attitude, however does not allow the oppressor to aggravate him.  Pastor Farmer, by his strength and wisdom shows him his dignity and personal principles.

The second racial incident happened to Professor Tolson and his students. While coming home from one of their debates, become witnesses and almost the victims of lynching. This lynching was wrong, no matter how we look at it. The Pastor’s son said “What was that Negros crime that he should be hung without trial, in a dark forest filled with fog? Was he a thief? Was he a killer or just a Negro? He was a man, a man with a family” Killing people is not acceptable in any religion or society. Racism is the opposite of the democratic principles of equality and the rights of all people.  Killing is against law as well as religious, non-religious and sociological values. People don’t have the right to kill other people; we should leave this for God to decide.

They are laws of decency and humanity which exist above any legislation. This has been true for centuries. As Augustine of Hippo, famous philosopher said centuries ago “An unjust is no law at all”. It’s not debatable.