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    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Press Play with Madeleine Brand

    Resurrecting Rodney King in a one-man show

    Rodney King became a national symbol of police brutality, and his name was a rallying cry during the 1992 LA Riots. But celebrity obscured King’s identity, and it eventually devastated his life. Roger Guenver Smith has been engaging with King’s identity.

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    By Madeleine Brand • Apr 28, 2017 • 1 min read

    Rodney King became a national symbol of police brutality, and his name was a rallying cry during the 1992 LA Riots. But celebrity obscured King’s identity, and it eventually devastated his life. Roger Guenver Smith has been engaging with King’s identity. He’s the creator of the one-man show that resurrects the original man behind the plea for everyone to get along. Spike Lee has made a film of it, available on Netflix.

    The full episode

    2 of 4
    What Trump's first 100 days does to the planet
    1. 0:00Trump and the environment
    2. 13:27Resurrecting Rodney King in a one-man showYou’re reading this
    3. 27:42'One Week and a Day' combines grief and humor
    4. 38:03Emmy nominated-actress Lili Taylor on 'American Crime'
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Madeleine Brand

      Host, 'Press Play'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sarah Sweeney

      Vice President of Talk Programming, KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Michell Eloy

      Former Producer/Line Editor, Press Play

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Amy Ta

      Digital News & Culture Editor

    • KCRW placeholder

      Roger Guenveur Smith

      actor,writer, and director

      News

    The full episode

    2 of 4
    What Trump's first 100 days does to the planet
    1. 0:00Trump and the environment
    2. 13:27Resurrecting Rodney King in a one-man showYou’re reading this
    3. 27:42'One Week and a Day' combines grief and humor
    4. 38:03Emmy nominated-actress Lili Taylor on 'American Crime'
    Back to Press Play with Madeleine Brand