A producer of Will Smith’s new film “Emancipation” sparked backlash after he brought a photograph of an enslaved man to the premiere of the movie in London on Wednesday.
Speaking to Variety on the red carpet, Joey McFarland showed off the historical image and explained why he felt he needed to bring it to the premiere. The publication reports that the image is called “The Scourged Back” and inspired the film’s plot.
{snip} According to The Metropolitan Museum, the portrait depicts a runaway slave called Gordon whose back was scarred after severe whipping. {snip}
{snip} However, not everyone agreed with McFarland’s reasoning for displaying the photograph.
Rebecca Wiggins, a producer and writer, responded to Variety’s tweet of McFarland and pointed out that he had...