ज़िन्दगीनामा

In 1991, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded this documentary, apart from being nominated at Emmy & Golden Globe Awards.

Released on 7th April, 1991, Separate But Equal, a story of humanity tells us the value of equality in the face of racial discrimination and the power of empathy in the face of blind rationalism.

The story is a reel life depiction of a historic event in the American Constitutional Jurisprudence where on one hand was the constitutional legality of the Segregation law in Public Education challenged, and on the other, the Equal Protection Clause of the famous 14^th Amendment of US Constitution got extended and re-interpreted to make segregation policy of the States unconstitutional.

The film captures the deep psychological damage unleashed on the Negros (Black) by the then, deeply racist American society with the tool of Segregation. The poignancy of this truth becomes evident in the scene where the Negro Children are shown white and coloured dolls and are told to pick up the best and the ugliest doll among them. And here lies the travesty of the humankind and human mind when centuries of servitude and slavery had been successful in inherently making the generations of these people think, that they are the most inferior race and are therefore meant to be treated separately and discriminately.

To see,

The impactful arguments, thus presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NACCP) founder and attorney, Thurgood Marshall, in the Supreme Court, therefore, unlocks an ethical and moral question – “Aren’t the Negroes forced to submit to segregation who are also American citizens and who by accident of birth are of a different color ?”

The strength of the movie is explicitly shown through the powerful portrayal of its lead actors. The great African-American, Academy Award-winning actor Sidney Poitier has played the unforgettable role of Thurgood Marshall, and can unanimously be termed as both major attraction as well as achievement of this film.

Acclaimed director George Stevens Jr. has been successful in envisioning an American society which is nuanced and divided on the issue of race relations. The constant tension between these two groups has been depicted in signals and signs which make the narrative real as well as troublesome.

Overall, the success of the movie lies in the fact that even a distant spectator, who may not have witnessed or experienced the horrible past of racial history of the United States could relate to the pain felt by the blacks and this is proved when we feel a fellow triumph in the end as the segregation law gets held unconstitutional. This mini-series is a must-watch for all those who believe in the words of Abraham Lincoln, recited by the Chief justice Earl Warren before the judgement day:

“This nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom and that Government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the Earth.” 

“We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”

To watch the series: