The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, a documentary on one of the most famous and misunderstood campaigners in American history, gets a new trailer from Peacock. Oscar-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien serves as executive producer for the biopic The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, based on the book of the same name by Jeanne Theoharis. On October 19, 2022, Peacock will air the world premiere of its new documentary. It’s not a simple retelling of the story of the boycott that made Rosa Parks famous; The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks is much more than that.
With this video, we want to learn more about one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the twentieth century. The new film will detail all of Parks’s achievements, expanding on the limited picture we get of her in the classroom. The film won’t just highlight one of her many achievements; it’ll examine her whole career and the many facets of her personality.
The new trailer offers us a taste of Parks’s new personality and lays out the film’s evident intention to de-mythologize a figure whose reputation has been sterilised by decades of stories focusing on a single act of protest by Parks.
It’s clear from the preview that Parks was a remarkable person, and that her dedication to racial justice was more than simply a single protest. Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton, the film’s directors, expertly combine interviews with academics and activists like Bryan Stevenson, Patrisse Cullors, and Ericka Huggins with personal stories from her family and remarkable footage of Parks herself to create a moving and complex portrait of one remarkable woman. O’Brien remarked of the new film, “[t]he Rosa Parks of American history is essentially a myth. The calm, demure, and fatigued seamstress taking a seat on the bus.
The film Rosa Parks, played by Viola Davis, is about a real person, who “was an activist her whole life, an outspoken strategist, and a freedom warrior.” The filmmaker went on to say, “[m]y aim is that this video, together with [Jeanne Theoharis]’ wonderful book and the free teacher curriculum that she has built with Zinn Educational Project, serves to clarify Rosa Parks’ legacy and lead to a deeper appreciation of her position in history.” In light of legislation in some states that seeks to limit classroom discussion of race and history, the Zinn Education Project was initiated. Using funds granted by the Ford Foundation/Soledad O’Brien Productions and Lush Cosmetics, the initiative is distributing more than sixteen thousand copies of The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks, written for young adults.
On October 19, 2018, Peacock will release The Rebellious Life of Mrs Rosa Parks.