The documentary will focus on the racial progress that has
been made in Philadelphia, Mississippi between the Choctaw Indians, the black
community and the white population, over the sixty year span from 1955 to 2015.
During this period many Mississippi towns have fallen prey
to combinations of the following: loss of agrarian prosperity, northern
migration of blacks, white flight, structural deterioration, poor education
systems, joblessness, debilitating racial injustices, despair and bankruptcy.
The problems of economic decline and racial disconnect were worsened
during the late fifties and through the sixties by the rise of the violent
Ku Klux Klan and the influential, White Citizens' Council, made up of powerful businessmen,
professionals and politicians. Through all of this, Philadelphia has
managed against all odds, to be a prospering, friendly and bustling little town
in the twenty first century. Its successes have occurred over a series of
gradual increments, in spite of the fact that the town became infamous and
despised as a result of the horrific Klan killings of three young civil rights
volunteers in the Freedom Summer of 1964.
The documentary will follow the difficult paths that so many
citizens took, in a joint effort to nurture understanding, reconciliation, peace, justice,
and opportunities for prosperity. While following Philadelphia's
collective journey toward the light, we will come to the crux of the
documentary by intermixing the revelations and evolution of this complicated
southern town, with the experiences of a racially diverse group, active in past
and present civil rights efforts in Mississippi.
The film will be directed by PJ Frederick, who was stationed
in Philadelphia, MS as a VISTA volunteer in 1976-77. Her son, David, who is working on a Ph.D. in communications
media, is helping to produce the film. We have about 2/3 of the funding we need from the
university that David attends, but we need a bit more to cover the remaining expenses like food and a second hotel room for our film crew.
Our goal represents the minimum we need to make this film happen, but any additional will go towards things like licensing more source material, recording more music, additional interviews, etc. Filming will take place this June.
As a special thanks, contributors who donate $30 or more will receive a music album featuring several gospel choirs recorded live during the filming of the documentary. For those kind enough to donate $50 or more you will receive an album featuring a live performance by Duck Holmes, owner of Mississippi's oldest standing juke joint and founder of the Bentonia Blues Festival.
