Civil Rights activist, Paul Bokulich, marched with Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In the short documentary You Have to Have Light to Dispel the Darkness, he reflects back on the effects of his years in Selma and Eutaw, Alabama living in a shack house, falling in love, and dedicated to making a difference.
He believes that we are neglecting our faith, the “spiritual force”, in the various cultural causes we are undertaking. When he went to Selma he was swept away by how the role of faith was fueling the movement. In this documentary, he talks about how they consciously knew and prepared themselves to endure suffering for the cause and the conscious discipline that it took.
As a filmmaker, I have worked on different projects for social organizations and I’ve found myself thinking about how much good fruit could develop with the voice and presence of faithful Catholics. But all too often, I see a real lack of willingness to get involved with secular activities within Catholic spheres.
The result is that we are operating in a fractured culture and that becomes more and more divided. So, in particular, these days I think there’s a lot we can learn from the civil rights movement that Paul and Pat dedicated themselves to.
You Have to Have Light to Dispel the Darkness
This short documentary was directed by Sean Schiavolin. This article was also written by Sean.
“You cannot dispel evil with evil—you have to have goodness to dispel evil.”
– Paul Bokulich
