MLK Actor's Suit Has Inspiring Secret
(Taylor Hill/Getty Images)
Actor David Oyelowo has received critical acclaim for his portrayal of Martin Luther King Jr. in the new film “Selma” but the 38-year-old British actor unveiled another creative project at the Critics’ Choice Awards on Thursday night in Los Angeles: a suit coat lined with the lyrics to one of MLK’s favorite gospel songs, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,"
Us Weekly reports that Oyelowo included the lyrics inside his jacket as a way to personally honor the late civil rights leader on what would have been his 86th birthday.
The lyrics to the song were originally written by the Rev Thomas A. Dorsey, widely known as “the father of black gospel music.” The song has an incredible musical heritage, having been covered by a number of musicians including Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin. It was even played at the funeral of President Lyndon Johnson, who had long described the song as being one of his personal favorites.
The lyrics from the song read in part:
When the darkness appears and the night draws near
And the day is past and gone
At the river I stand
Guide my feet, hold my hand
Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home
Dorsey, who passed away in 1993, had said that he was inspired to write the reflective song after his wife Nettie and their newborn child both passed away within two days of each other in 1932. When he was unhappy with the response from traditional music outlets, Dorsey took the song and launched what was then the first black gospel music publishing house.
After Academy Award nominations were announced this week, there was a major backlash to the fact that all of the major nominees were white men and women. Oyelowo had been widely expected to receive a nomination for his role. When asked for his response, he told Us Weekly: “The only way to put a dent in the very real fact that there is a disproportionate amount of people who do not look like me doing what I do is something that I’m just going to fight by doing the best I can with the roles I get.”
Oyelowo and his fellow “Selma” cast members will be in Alabama on Monday to celebrate the MLK holiday.
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