Although the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the end to school segregation in 1954, the ruling was met with massive resistance in many areas, especially in the South. Charleston, Mississippi’s high school wasn’t integrated until 1970 and even then, separate prom nights were maintained for black and white students. In 1997 the tiny town’s most famous resident, Morgan Freeman, offered to pay for an integrated prom. He was rebuffed. In 2008 he tried again.
Director Paul Saltzman’s Prom Night in Mississippi follows the most recent effort by the Oscar-winning actor to erase the embarrassment of lingering segregation in his hometown. The school administration went along with a shrug, realizing that history had left Charleston behind. Many parents, however, were determined to cling to a bad past. Freeman was a little naïve in his expectations from the students. Hearing no objection to his plan at a school assembly, he interpreted silence as universal acceptance. But as Saltzman’s interviews show, the response from students was mixed. A minority of die-hard racists opposed the move while another group of students embraced it enthusiastically. Most went along with the general consensus that times had changed—and enjoyed a happy and hassle free night at the dance.
Originally shown on HBO, Prom Night in Mississippi won accolades on the film festival circuit. It’s out now on DVD.
