Prom Night in Mississippi

Back in 1954, the landmark Supreme Court decision known as Brown v. Board of Education struck down state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students. But towns like Charleston, Mississippi, the subject of Paul Saltzman's 2008 documentary Prom Night in Mississippi, were a bit slow on the uptake. It wasn't until 1970 that the high school was integrated; even then, nearly 40 more years passed before the senior prom was allowed to follow suit. In 1997 actor Morgan Freeman, a Charleston native, offered to pay for the prom if both black and white students were included, but his offer was rebuffed. Freeman, noting that "tradition is one thing, [but] idiocy is another," tried again in 2008, and this time it worked; the senior class voted unanimously for integration, and administrators and teachers were receptive as well. But as the school began its preparations for this historic event, it was soon apparent that it would not be easy. There was considerable resistance from some of the parents and other adults steeped in the area's legacy of racism; in fact, while the mixed prom would go on as planned, it was preceded by another, all-white event (it's telling that the organizers of the white prom refused to appear on camera for the documentary). But some of the other parents we see are deeply, honestly conflicted, including blue-collar "redneck" (his description) Glen Sumner, whose daughter is one of the very few students involved in an interracial relationship. The kids are for the most part great. In interview after interview, these wise, well-spoken young people express their respect for their parents while questioning their attitudes, ingenuously wondering why the world is so harsh. In the end, following weeks of choosing the right clothes, having their hair done, and so on, they come together to make the mixed prom a rousing success, creating an uplifting end to this well-made, compelling film