Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Producer, director of Prom Night in Mississippi to discuss high school's first integrated prom in 2008
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Sarah Harlan Administrative Associate News & Information Services 812/465-7005 Prom Night in Mississippi In 1997, Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008, the school board accepted Freeman's offer and history was made. Until then, blacks and whites had separate proms even though their classrooms have been integrated for decades. The film follows students, teachers, and parents in the lead-up to the big day as Freeman addresses the student body, girls shop for dresses and get their hair done, and boys rent tuxedoes and buy corsages. These seemingly inconsequential rites of passage suddenly become profound as the weight of history falls on teenage shoulders. It is quickly learned that change does not come easily. Freeman's generosity fans the flames of racism. Some white parents forbid their children to attend the integrated prom and hold a separate whites-only prom. "Billy Joe," an enlightened white senior, appears on camera in shadow, fearing his racist parents will disown him if they see the film. Prom Night In Mississippi captures a big moment in a small town, where hope finally blossoms in black, white, and a whole lot of taffeta. |
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