Check out this preview of the documentary Prom Night In Mississippi – a story stemming from an offer from an Academy Award winning actor, that made a historic impact at a high school in the southern state.
In 1997, Morgan Freeman offered to pay for the senior prom at Charleston High School under one condition: the prom had to be racially integrated. After that offer was ignored, Freeman returned eleven years later and the school board accepted. Charleston High School had its first-ever integrated prom in 2008 (until then, blacks and whites had separate proms).
The documentary follows students, teachers, and parents as they lead up to the big day – which, doesn’t come without much opposition in a town where deep rooted racism is still planted. Prom Night in Mississippi premieres @ 9PM ET/PT on Monday, July 20th on HBO.
That’s crazy
Oh wow this will be very powerful! Im still in shock that it wasn’t until 2008 that their prom was integrated!! That’s very sad!!
What a world we live in!!:-(
Cant believe stuff like this still happens AND SOME PEOPLE SAY RACISM IS DEAD. its about as dead as autotune after jay-z killed in D.O.A. an he did kill-it. Roc-4-life
I can’t even believe it took them until 2008 to have an intergrated prom… that’s unbelieveable
a damn shame really
God is good!
This made my eyes water..i couldn’t imagine going to segregated prom… and i feel for Morgan Freeman he tried so hard to produce projects that are worthwhile to watch and never gets the support or its takes years of struggle..
My cousin told me that there is a high school like that in St. Martinville, LA. There’s a white prom and a black prom…in 2009! This has been going on for 40 years. Now how terrible is that?
Thanks for this post… I had not heard about it and will be watching it tonight. I didnt view the video but after reading what it is about I know I want to see it…
Did he take his step-granddaughter/fiance with him?
I’m not surprised. If they can get away with keeping it segregated they’ll do it.
i heard that some of the students, both white and black, wanted it this way though. maybe not in this school, i think it was another one but still. it’s sad that people can’t just get together for one night. it’s just a prom
That is crazy still? shit its/was 2008 a hot damn mess disgusted.
and I’m not surprised lol
I plan to watch this. Like I say to people all the time racism is not over Obama or not. I work in civil rights I see this mess all day everyday. We are so afraid and screwed up about race that we think seperate but equal is still a better option then intergration. In all honesty I think forced intergration was more harmful to us, but open then seperate but equal in this day in age is just plan imaginable. If we would just admit our racism and the true history of this country and how systematic racism persist we would not need CNN’s b.s. “Black in America”, where is White, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, in America. We are not lab rats you do not need specials to understand us or seprate proms to understand that racism is a learned behavior inherent in this country’s makeup. All people need to understand like others is that we are made in HIS image and the only reason we are not equal is because racism and slavery which has been perpetuated on us for centuries and now accepted by some of US as a way of life–to strive for nothing.
1st off- It’s sad that there are only 15 (when I began this) comments on a post like this one. It’s actions like the one Morgan Freeman is and has been taking, that allows us (black americans, hell, all americans) a venue like this one to express our constitutional freedoms.
I just want to commend M.F. for continuing to work towards a better America for our nations children. This is an awesome investment…rather than dropping 100,000 on strippers (J.D/Jeezy/others?) or buying/renting houses worth cars.
I appreciate those who can in a sense “buy” their freedoms, investing in the freedoms of others. Freedoms of those who lack the resources to even make public circumstances such as these.
So if I haven’t said it enough….Thank you so very much Morgan Freeman and all others that support efforts such as these. Your efforts aren’t unnoticed and in fact deserve more publication. Kuddos to you M.Freeman!!!!
With a name like Freeman- I guess you had to get involved!! (cheesy- i kno!
wow, that is a damn shame, and they say racism don’t exist anymore, anybody who believes that is living in a bubble. There is no reason you want to be separated from someone unless you believe you’re better or even too different than them, when you separate yourself from someone you’re saying your okay but not good enough for me.
When are all one, so really you are separating from yourselves unconsciously, people don’t realize they are mentally and spiritually killing themselves when they separate or mistreat another
Why do they have to integrate something like that shouldnt be forced
& me honestly I wouldnt have went if that was mandatory
Why are folks surprised if white folks dont wanna kick it with you oh well
Black folks stay trying to be accepted
You dont have to be
They probably just hoping a nigga knock up some white chicks
We were ALL separated before we all came to america.
Wonder why?
No one should be suprised by this; although the country & pioneers have taken the correct steps toward “TRUE” equality it is still incomplete in the south. I graduated from a highschool that’s 30 minutes from Charleston. Mind you this school is one of the largest most prestigous schools in MS. To this day this school (along with other MS highschools) continues to these “private proms” as they call it; you know why & how? They do this through private sponsors of the county & upper class student’s parents who donate boocoo’s of $$$ for this purpose.
My highschool in particular even made the announcements for the “private prom” a part of their daily announcements!! When it’s known throughout the school by the student body that this was the ‘white prom’!! I had a best friend of the opposite race who wanted to bring me along because she didn’t have a date; her parent would allow her to purchase a ticket for me due to the history & nature of the party HINT: (my kind will not be present to reciprocate my attendance to the prom)
Interracial couples or friends still get the screwface from observers down here…
I love our President & the First Family to the fullest but, the South is still dreadfully behind on the times… Believe it or not, Jim Crow still exists down here; it may not be in the law books but, the mentality is alive & well….
this is like my school. I DON”T plan on attending my senior prom. I live in the middle of a racist all white town. And this whole racism shit that people think seam to have gone away is still here. I could really careless because after this year, my ass will be gone to a HBCU baby!
RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL….AND NOT JUST IN THE SOUTH. IT MAY BE MORE BLATANT IN THE SOUTH BUT TO ME IT’S THE LESS OVERT FORMS OF RACISM THAT ARE THE MOST DANGEROUS.
This is not unheard of, several schools in the south have segragated proms..but usually it boils down to what parents want..because from what I hear most students feel like if they can go to the same classes together and eat lunch together, then why can’t they go to prom together. Its sad, but I’m glad this school was willing to take a huge step and were willing to break “tradition”. I will definitely be watching tonight.
I am upset I’ll be missing this.
@ LMAO
THAT WAS JUST WRONG LOL!
Wow!! The ‘UNITED’ states is more backwards than Zimbabwae!!!
very disapointing – ur supposed to be the first world & superpower . Not a good look
I would have approved of a private prom at my highschool. The majority of students at my school were of another race and they basically called the shots and controlled the music…which sucked. The one time black students did dance, it was to an older hip-hop song like some MC Hammer or something. Segregation is not always a bad thing. I’m not being naive, but don’t automatically assume the proms were separate based on racism alone. I’m sorry but if I’m going to my prom, I don’t wanna be dancing to Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift.
Racist people are quick to intergrate absent the money to stay predjudiced.
All those car dealerships and real estate sponsors down there have shut down so now they wanna take Morgan’s money and play nice for prom?
Recession is real as hell.
@ Black British; I do not understand why you’re so judgemental, this country has been deemed the superpower for many years; & it’s also been jacked up for centuries; take a history lesson on the last 200years on this good ole’ US of A & I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed no longer
I’ll be tuning in tonight.
man this kinda brought me to tears, i’m happy to see that some of the children aren’t taking on their parents attitude.
@29 GTFOH, you have racisim in Great Britain just as much as we do here, you just call it class based so it can cut across color lines but why do you think you have been hated by those in Ireland for so long. I have been to your country in fact your country as perpetuated more high crimes against people of color then any other country in this world. Your bloody hands have not been washed clean, look what you did to AFRICA carved up an entire continent, displaced people and land. You have some nerve, in fact you are still perpetuating crimes, SA and Zimbabwe that is all I am going to say. Look at Africa’s natural resources they are run by you Europeans not Africans. Ugh!
@29 I am agreeing with you and not Black Brit (aka b.s.)
my cousin’s school in mississippi still have separate proms also. and he was acting like it was normal!! it seems like now its because of a different taste in music or something i dunno
black folks stay trying to be with other races instead of having some pride
man i loved it i
just wish they didnt have
two proms..its 2009 get over
it….
i found this surprising , maybe because im from California? lol, & this thought would never even cross my mind ; but then AGAIN lets not forget that people of different races tend to segregate themselves for the most part anyway , go to any middle school or high school anywhere , that has a nice mixture of people, & you will still see that the mexicans stick with the mexicans, the blacks stick with the blacks, and the whites stick with the whites, then here and there you’ll see people of different races hanging out, but the majority CHOOSE to be with those who look like them. Which i always thought was SAD , but thats just the way things are , who knows if things will ever change?
I need to watch this..