While I Breathe, I Hope

2020年 • 71 分鐘

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What does it mean to be young, Black, and progressive in the American South? While I Breathe, I Hope is a feature documentary film that explores this question through the experiences of SC Politician and CNN commentator Bakari Sellers. The film follows Sellers on his 2014 run for Lt. Governor in SC, through the 2015 Charleston Massacre and removal of the Confederate Flag from the SC State House grounds, and into 2016 as Sellers launches a national presence on CNN and navigates the changing role of race in politics in Trump's America.

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This movie shows us the truth about the needs of SC and what happens behind the scenes during a hard fought campaign. Bakari Sellers is a SC hero. Watch it often and learn about the poverty and educational needs in SC as well as a political adventure. Bakari has a heart of gold and loves all people in SC. I am proud to know him and look forward to his future in SC politics either on the inside or the outside to impact the changes required to move SC forward.

State Congressman Bakari Sellers runs for Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina despite racialized opposition. This film follows his campaign trail and his community involvement after his loss and through the Charleston Church Massacre. Harold has unprecedented time and access to Sellers, who is emotional and hardworking. The backbone of the story rests on Sellers’ previous success and support from the poor black communities in South Carolina, and in his position as a “child of the Civil Rights Era” (his father’s involvement and imprisonment is elaborated on for context, and draws parallels with the younger Sellers). The motivation behind Sellers’ involvement is clear, his passion is transferred on screen, and the roots of opposition in old-school politics and racism are exemplified in on-the-fly interviews that raise the stakes of Sellers’ campaign. While I Breathe, I Hope is motivational and helps us to imagine a future for black men in politics while painting a picture of some of the roadblocks in the way.

With films like “War Room,” “Running with George,” “Mitt,” and “Primary” the campaign documentary genre has many entires but almost entirely of white men in presidential campaigns. Emily Harrold focuses her lens on a state race with a courageous Black candidate, making the genre and our national discourse better for it. It is important in documentary to tell the seemingly quixotic stories, not the sure-bets. History may be written by the victors, but documentaries should tell all people’s stories. Harrold does that wonderfully in this film by showing a man determined to go wherever it takes and do whatever is necessary to fight for what he believes. The addition of the Charleston Massacre gives Mr. Sellers’ run even more meaning and context and shows how far we need to go for justice in the US. Please give the film a watch!