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Prom Night in Mississippi

DVD - 2010 DVD 323.11 Pr 1 On Shelf No requests on this item Community Rating: 4.8 out of 5

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Locations
Call Number: DVD 323.11 Pr
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length Call Number Checkout Length Item Status
Downtown 1st Floor
1-week checkout
DVD 323.11 Pr 1-week checkout On Shelf

Videodisc release of the 2009 film.
In 1997, actor Morgan Freeman, a resident of the small town of Charleston, Miss., offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School under one condition: the prom must be racially integrated. His offer was ignored. In 2008 he offered again, and the offer was accepted, changing the tradition of two separate proms for blacks and whites that had endured since the high school was integrated in 1970. Shows the problems and lessons learned as the event was planned and held. With comments from Morgan Freeman, students, and others. Intended to explore attitudes of racial intolerance that still persist today. In 2008, Charleson High School had 415 students, 70% black and 30% white.
DVD; Dolby 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital sound.

REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Beautiful submitted by drouhardte on August 23, 2010, 12:58pm Although fairly simply pieced together, this is a beautiful story. Most striking was the huge contrast between the adults (whether or not they actually had any involvement in the prom), who mostly ran amok with worry and fear, and the kids, who mostly enjoyed their prom and almost couldn't care less about the supposedly catastrophically-charged atmosphere.

While it's at first saddening to learn that such intolerance and shameful behavior as separate proms is still occurring in 2010, the kids in this story really shine, giving hope that we might one day be collectively mature enough to choose understanding over fear, tolerance over hatred, and equality over prejudice. They are an inspiration, and it's lucky, for history's sake, that their story is documented here.

fascinating and shocking submitted by Jackie77 on August 12, 2015, 11:57pm Shocking to learn people are still having segregated proms...even though the school is non-segregated. Morgan is wonderful in offering to pay for their integrated prom and leaves the budget up to the students. Fantastic documentary.

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PUBLISHED
[United States] : Distributed by New Video Group, [2010]
Year Published: 2010
Description: 1 videodisc (90 min.) : sd., col. with b&w sequences ; 4 3/4 in.
Language: English
Format: DVD

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
1422949044
9781422949047

ADDITIONAL CREDITS
Saltzman, Paul.
Aquino, Patricia.
Freeman, Morgan.
RTM Productions.
HBO Documentary Films.
New Video Group.

SUBJECTS
Charleston High School (Charleston, Miss.)
Racism -- Charleston.
Racism -- United States.
Prejudices -- United States.
Mississippi -- Race relations.
United States -- Race relations.
Documentary films.