Prom Night in Mississippi

After the United States Supreme Court mandated the integration of segregated schools in 1954, it took until 1970 for the black and white students in Charlestown, Mississippi to attend the same school. And even then, white parents refused to integrate the prom, starting a tradition of White Prom and Black Prom, separate but equal. Flash forward to 1997 when Morgan Freeman, Academy Award® winner and resident of Charlestown, offers to pay for the prom… if it is integrated. His offer is ignored. In 2008 he offers again, hoping to break what he calls the “logjam of inaction” regarding issues of race at the school. He isn't looking for an earth-shaking social movement; he simply wants to “allow the opportunity” for the students to experience the rite of passage together. Consent is given, agreements are made, and no one is more excited than the students. But it's a long, bumpy road to the prom and the journey exposes deep roots of racism within the older generation. Can the cycle really be broken? As dresses are purchased, dates are decided, and limos are booked, there are poignant stories told by both parents and students on how this senior celebration got to be so weighty. The story is magical and you can't help but fall in love with each of the students who just want to have some fun and experience PROM NIGHT IN MISSISSIPPI. – C.C.P.