I received a free digital screening to facilitate this honest “Genius: MLK/X” review.
GENIUS: MLK/X is a biographical fiction anthology docuseries which parallels the lives of Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X. Airing on National Geographic Channel, it’s distributed by Disney +, and airs on Disney + and Hulu following the original premiere. An eight-episode miniseries, each one features their experiences, and their lives, in sequential order.
Starring Kelvin Harrison, Jr, Aaron Pierre, Weruche Opia, and Jayme Lawson, it portrays the leaders from young men through adulthood and onto their national identities in the movement toward social justice and the fight for freedom and equality. It’s rated MA.
While their lives paralleled in the same era, they diverged in the way they went through adulthood and in the fight for Civil Rights and Social Justice. They followed different faiths, Martin Luther King, Jr was a Baptist minister and Malcolm X was a leader and minister in the Nation of Islam. Both powerful orators, they used their voices to speak in faith and in their vision for the future.
They faced discrimination in everyday life. While one promotes nonviolence, the other is revolutionary using any means. As a docuseries, we see the men and their families portrayed in their everyday lives, and real black and white news footage is shown from the time periods of each episode to enhance the history documented.
The episodes go in-depth with their lives, family life, philosophies, and experiences. It shows them in a way we have never seen before, a different look at the human experience, and coverage not taught in school.
These Geniuses of Social Change for Freedom only met once, but their impact on the world was greater than that. Both lives were cut short by assassins, but they accomplished a lot in their path to bring change and freedom for Black people in America.
Rather than pitting them against each other as they’re usually portrayed, the series allows us to see them as individuals in the movement for change and, ultimately, freedom.
Releasing during Black History Month, the Genius: MLK/X series gives us a fresh look at Martin Luther King, Jr and Malcolm X and the fight for freedom. It’s an important part of American History told in a unique way, educational, but thoughtful and engaging. It doesn’t shy away from the violence, but it isn’t gratuitous. The vignettes shown are an authentic part of history which shouldn’t be forgotten. Genius: MLK/X is a must-see for everyone.
Genius: MLK/X Trailer
How to Watch Genius: MLK/X
Genius: MLK/X premiered on National Geographic on February 1, 2024. It is also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Hulu.
Official Genius: MLK/X Synopsis
“Genius: MLK/X” follows both Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) and Malcolm X (Aaron Pierre) from their formative years, where they were molded by strong fathers and traumatic injustices, to their rich, parallel stories as they shaped their identities and became the change they wished to see in the world.
The docu-drama series offers an intimate look into their complex lives as husbands, fathers, brothers and sons, taking them off the iconic T-shirts to show their humanity. “Genius: MLK/X” brings their wives, Coretta Scott King (Weruche Opia) and Betty Shabazz (Jayme Lawson), who are often portrayed as peripheral figures, to the forefront and shows them as formidable equals of the Movement.
Episodes will explore the moments between the monumental historical events we’ve come to know and shine a light on how each leader and those closest to them questioned their resolve and decisions as they navigated the rigors of balancing a public persona with a private life. While King and X met only once and often challenged each other’s views, neither would have been as successful without the other.
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