Common on ‘Selma’ and race in America
By Brian Prowse-Gany
Coming from the streets of Chicago’s South Side and making his way to the silver screen, hip-hop innovator Common is a modern-day Renaissance man who has left his mark on music, film, television and fashion. With two Grammys and three top 10 albums under his belt, he has helped create a more introspective and thought-provoking style of hip-hop music.
Common is making history yet again, this time by portraying civil rights crusader James Bevel in the upcoming film Selma, the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s march to Montgomery, Ala., which led to the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.
Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric sat down with Common to discuss his participation in Selma, the death of Eric Garner and what, after a year in which racial inequality dominated the headlines, we can do next.
Not only did Common act in Selma, he also teamed up with award-winning musician John Legend to record the film’s Golden Globe-nominated ballad, “Glory.”
Just last week, Common appeared at a protest on the steps of New York City Hall to support a list of demands that included the immediate firing of Officer Daniel Pantaleo in relations to the chokehold death of Eric Garner.
And this past October, Common brought Michael Brown’s parents on stage during his performance at the BET Hip Hop awards. “I felt his mother’s pain” says Common. “At the end of the performance, we all put our hands up and said, ‘We will not allow your son’s death to be in vain.’
Selma opens in select theatres on Dec. 25 and opens everywhere Jan. 9.
