PBS really is the best, guys. If you missed last night’s broadcast premiere of SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI by director Dawn Porter (GIDEON’S ARMY), today is your lucky day. Tune in to a laptop near you at 9pm EST for an online encore AND live chat with Dawn herself.
I watched the documentary yesterday and just wow…there’s so much that I do not know about my country’s history. The film unearths the true story of Mississippi’s State Sovereignty Commission, an 1960’s organization dedicated to keeping the state essentially segregated in “an apartheid system that would make South Africa blush”.
As I took in all the deception by government officials and even civil rights informants, I couldn’t help but flashback to watching Ken Burn”s THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE. The same wave of emotions came over me. First, anger because how could this happen and why didn’t I learn about these events sooner? The rage, as always, was followed by gratitude to these filmmakers who champion these important stories and bring them to audiences nationwide.
To watch SPIES OF MISSISSIPPI online tonight: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/968o9