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October 18, 2017 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: ‘Marshall’ Recounts High-Profile Case Argued by Thurgood Marshall Proxy By Kam Williams For The Skanner News P rior to becoming America’s first Af- rican American Supreme Court Jus- tice, Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) en- joyed a legendary legal career as a civil rights lawyer. While serving as chief counsel for the NAACP, he argued before the U.S. Supreme Court 32 times, most notably, the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case ending segregation in public schools. This makes one ques- tion director Reggie Hudlin’s (“House Party”) thinking in having his “ The case was splashed across the tabloids, and the accused had already been convicted in the court of public opinion biopic about the beloved icon revolve around a criminal trial from 1941, when he was still estab- lishing himself. What’s even more curious is that Marshall wasn’t allowed to interrogate witness- es or even speak in the Book cont’d from pg 7 Author Resmaa Menakem Boy, they really came in handy She’d say, ‘Matty don’ you whip that boy What you want to spank him for? He didn’t drop no apple core’ But I don’t have Grandma anymore If I get to heaven I’ll look for Grandma’s hands” --Grandma’s Hands by Bill Withers L ike Bill Withers, Res- maa Menakem had a wise grandmother who played a pivot- al role in shaping him during the formative years of his life. For that reason, he acknowledg- es the debt of gratitude owed to Addie Coleman, whose tenderhearted spirit permeates his new book, “My Grand- mother’s Hands.” But the groundbreak- ing opus isn’t merely a fond memoir about a late loved one, but rather a sobering how-to tome endeavoring to identify and alleviate deep-seated traumas afflicting Blacks and Whites alike. For the author, a veteran thera- pist who has appeared as a guest on such TV shows as Oprah and Dr. Phil, fervently believes that racism can’t be erad- icated by conversation across the color line alone, as so often sug- courtroom by the racist judge (James Cromwell) presiding over the pro- gested by well-meaning political pundits. He asserts that race- based trauma is so em- bedded in our bones that it can “alter the DNA” and thus be passed from one generation to the next. Consequently, his innovative recipe for recovery incorporates a hands-on approach to healing the body as well as metaphysical mea- sures for soothing the soul. The book is basically a mix of diagnostic discus- sion, anecdotal evidence and invaluable exercises designed to enable the reader to recognize his or her need for treatment and then get themselves started on the road to re- covery. Though the high- ly-charged subject-mat- ter might ordinarily be controversial in nature, this text is written in a non-confrontational style apt to disarm, en- gage and enlighten read- ers, regardless of color or political persuasion. Kudos to Resmaa Menakem for such a sorely-needed work which couldn’t be more practical or more time- ly, given this bitterly-di- vided country’s current state of race relations. To order a copy of “My Grandmother’s Hands,” visit: www. amazon.com/exec /obi- dos/ASIN/1942094477/ ref%3dnosim/theska-20. ceedings, because he wasn’t a member of the bar in the State of Con- necticut. So, instead of seeing Marshall work his mag- ic, we have to settle for watching him quietly orchestrate his strategy with help of a Caucasian colleague (Josh Gad), who’s rather reluctant to get involved. That would be Sam Friedman, a local yokel afraid of jeopardiz- ing his flourishing insur- Film still of ‘Marshall’ ance practice by defend- ing a Black man accused of raping a white woman. After all, the case was splashed across the tab- loids, and the accused See FILM on page 11