DEAR OPRAH (#38): I still haven’t received a response, but you may find the letter interesting. Note” “Racism in America” and “You Will Go Free” are age restricted by YouTube, so I have only included the trailer featuring the late John Lewis.
Dear Oprah:I would like your permission to use a portion of your interview with Bryan Stevenson at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, which originally aired on 60 Minutes in April 2018, in my 18-minute documentary “Racism in America: Why Black Lives Matter.” I have included a link to my YouTube channel CAST OF CHARACTERS Live.
This project originally started with a 6-minute music video made to a 1986 song, “You Will Go Free”, by my friend Steven Kirkorian, who recorded 8 albums from 1978 to the early 1990s as Tonio K. I have made a total of 6 videos about social issues to songs by Tonio. Tom Paxton has been supportive of my work and suggested I call these pieces Musical Documentaries since they are so unlike most music videos. I have also included a link to “You Will Go Free” and a trailer for it that I made featuring the late John Lewis.
I was impressed and influenced by your interview with Bryan, so when I expanded the “You Will Go Free” project I included it portions of it. I also included portions of John Oliver’s show on the history of racism and Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”.
I am not trying to profit from this documentary. I am trying to do what I can to address the problem of systemic racism in a manner that is a little different and may attract some viewers. It has only been shown on my Facebook page, on a Facebook group I started in 2019, Americans Supporting Peaceful Protests, and on my non-monetized YouTube channel CAST Of CHARACTERS Live.
CAST Of CHARACTERS Productions is a small volunteer production company located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico that makes documentaries of local interest as well as my Musical Documentaries and political documentaries like “DENIAL: The Armenian Genocide”.
Lifetime Grammy Award winner Tom Paxton has become a good friend since we filmed his benefit concert here a year ago for Caminamos Juntos, a charity that provides support for Mexicans and their families deported from the United States.Of “You Will Go Free” Tom Paxton said, “I thought it was powerful and true. You are doing terrific work.” Of Racism in America Tom said, “The video is overwhelming. Trump should be strapped in a chair and forced to watch it.”
I would like to expand “Racism in America” by using Irving Berlin’s “Suppertime” to include the Jacob Blake shooting and the murders of Casey Goodson and Andre Hill. I would very much like your approval before I do so.
I have copied Tom Paxton and Tonio K. so that you will have their email addresses. I am sure they will vouch for me if asked.
Thank you very much for your time. I look forward to hearing from you and will be happy to answer any questions or provide any additional information you may need.
Sincerely,
J. Scott Simmons
Executive Director of CAST Of CHARACTERS Productions