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‘Small Axe,’ ‘Mahalia’ Showcase Real-Life Black Individuals’ Achievements Amidst Oppression
Will Thorne Staff WriterWhen Steve McQueen was curating the narratives for his Amazon Prime Video anthology “Small Axe,” the year 1968 felt like the best place to start.This was because it was a year of mass strikes in France, a year in which Conservative politician Enoch Powell made his infamous “rivers of blood” speech and a year in which Frank Crichlow (played by Shaun Parkes in the “Mangrove” installment) named his restaurant and fought to keep its doors open in the face of repeated police raids.“Small Axe” is one of several among this year’s limited series and TV movie contenders, including Lifetime’s “Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia Jackson” which tell full, nuanced stories of Black people achieving their goals, despite facing