The Least Among You opens with scenes of the bloody 1965 riot—uprising if you prefer—in Watts. Cut to a young black man in jail, back against the wall—literally. Richard Kelly is a college graduate about to begin work in the nascent field of computers. But the plea bargain he reluctantly agrees to put his life on a different path. Seems his mother had arranged a scholarship for him at a nearby Protestant seminary. Although he doesn’t want to be a preacher, Richard’s terms of probation are that he attend the school and maintain a high GPA.
Such is the story of The Least Among You. If the seminary-probation twist seems a tad odd, the plot gathers steam once Richard arrives at the otherwise all-white academy. While the administration sees Richard as their opportunity to appear progressive—and urge him to be a credit to “the Negroes”—the student body rejects him with extreme prejudice. The Least Among You is a reminder of how far America has traveled, even if racism persists. In the ‘60s a black man in unexpected places almost inevitably drew hostile stares.
The production is supported by a capable cast headed by Cedric Sanders, who plays Richard with a bit of the tightly coiled wariness of a young Sidney Poitier.
