note to i am a man
i am a man is inspired and based on Roads to Memphis, a film produced by Amanda Pollak, edited by George O'Connell, written by Michelle Ferrari and directed by Stephen Ives.
In particular, on film footage of the Memphis Sanitation Strike in 1968, in Tennessee, and interviews with Benjamin Hooks and Samuel Kyles, witnesses to the circumstances surrounding the "I've Been to the Mountaintop" speech delivered, at the Mason Temple (Church of God in Christ Headquarters) in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3rd, 1968, by Martin Luther King, Jr. His last.
While the literal contents of i am a man were inspired by historical facts and records, i hope for the thrust of the poem to go beyond the specifics.
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