Recently, I had the opportunity to watch this movie:
Sure, I'm only one of the over 2 million people who saw it, but I like to think that my experience was sort of special.
Entering the theater 15 minutes early we were sure to get good seats. However, as we turned the corner to face the audence we quickly realized we would have to settle for what we could find--the place was packed! And to my pleasant surprise, the crowd appeared to be 50/50 Caucasion- and African-American.
The movie is set in Jackson, Miss. and based on the story of a young journalist who writes about something that "disturbs [her], particularly if it bothers no one else," and that is the spiteful treatment of "the help" in 1960s Mississippi.
So you see, when I entered a Mississippi movie theater on a hot Mississippi day and saw that I would be able to inadvertently address the racial issues that we still face today in 2011, I was very excited.
There was laughter, there were tears and in the end, something very surprising happened, something I have never before experienced in a theater. It was intense applause. I teared up as I looked around to all the smiling faces in the audience and realized wow, we have come a long way.
I know, I know the applause was for the direction of a masterfully-played movie. But I also like to think that the applause was a celebration of how far South Mississippi has come when it comes to racial issues and integration. Just the fact that we could sit in a theater together and enjoy a movie together that addresses racial concerns proves that we have come a long way.
Now, I am not ignorant. I know we still have a long way to go. In fact, I devoted an entire thesis to proving that racial prejudices still exist in America. But I do believe that there has been great progress.
When we drove away from the theater that day, my husband said to me, "You remind me of Skeeter." I take pride in the statement because like Skeeter and Kathryn Stockett I do find things that disturb me but don't seem to disturb anyone else.
