Unless you're too tired from work or school, there's absolutely no excuse to miss the premiere of Morgan Freeman's documentary "Prom Night in Mississippi" debuting tonight on HBO. It chronicles the journey the Oscar-Award winning actor has been on for over a decade now as he attempts to integrate a high school prom in his hometown of Charleston, Mississippi.
He first offered to pick up the tab for Charleston High's prom back in 1997 under the condition that both White and Black students would attend the event together. Unfortunately, the kind gesture was met with much resistance and the school declined the offer. That was, of course, until Freeman returned back to the tiny once again in 2008 and offered to foot the bit for the school's prom under the condition they would stop voluntarily segregating themselves. And, to his surprise, the school said, "yes."
Still, not everyone was pleased and the documentary tonight will highlight the backwards thinking that lead quite a few of the White parents to become upset about the so-called "mixing" of the races at Charleston High's upcoming prom. In the preview clip above, two White students recount a meeting they went to for an all-White super prom, which was in response to the integrated event Morgan said he would pay for. The couple recall hearing the parents at the meeting dropping "nigger" like it was going out of style and quipping that their daughters wouldn't be bringing home in "mixed babies" and "No, nigger is going to be grinding on my daughter." Luckily, though, the children of the aforementioned fools appear to be much more enlightened than their racist parents.
Prom Night in Mississippi airs tonight at 9PM/EST on HBO.


gesture, not jester
Powerful film, those with small minds should stay in their small worlds because their population is getting smaller.