Movies That Matter: Teens Confront Segregation in America with Artist and Filmmaker Gillian Laub

Julie and Bubba, 2002 | “Bubba was my first love. We dated from eighth grade until my junior year in high school. Some friends started to tell me they couldn’t hang out with me anymore. That hurt, because they were my friends since kindergarten. And I didn’t think they were bad people, just scared.” — Julie

“Change happens slowly. Sometimes you take a few steps forward, and a few steps backward,” said photographer and filmmaker Gillian Laub following a recent screening of her documentary Southern Rites to New York City teens at the Jewish Museum. “In the end, because I am an optimist, I am convinced that we will move forward.”

For nearly twenty years, the Jewish Museum’s free film festival for middle and high school students, Movies That Matter, has served more than 2,000 students and their teachers each year who view award-winning documentaries and engage in post-film discussions about identity, culture, and empathy. During the most recent season, students confronted timely issues of segregation and racially-driven violence with the film Southern Rites.

Set in Montgomery County, Georgia, one year after the town merged its racially segregated proms, the film unveils the complex, deeply divided narratives that followed the 2011 killing of Justin Patterson, a 21-year old black man by Norman Neesmith, an older white man. Through the watchful lens of director Gillian Laub, whose photographs of segregated proms had already sparked controversy within the town, epidemics of racism, inequality, and injustice in America are painfully exposed and presented for careful examination. “This story speaks volumes about our country,” she said. “I felt it was very important to tell this story because he was one of so many young black men killed.”

In the following interview, Laub shares her impressions after a Q&A with students who participated in Movies That Matter at the Jewish Museum.

All photographs by Gillian Laub from her series Southern Rites.

Prom prince and princess dancing at the integrated prom, 2011 | “Around here, prom is the biggest event we have. People plan all year for this night. It was real cool that all our classmates actually voted for me and Kayla to be crowned. I was excited and surprised. Just a year or two ago we wouldn’t even be able to dance together. But I was real nervous ’cause we had to have our dance alone and everyone was there — all the parents who were chaperones, including Kayla’s mom, and they were all watching us dance. I know her mom likes me, but I don’t think she’d be happy if we dated. Most of the white girls need to sneak around if they want to be with a black boy.” — Quanti (Prom Prince)

You’ve been documenting segregated proms since 2002. How did this project begin, then lead to a documentary?

In 2002, I first learned about the segregated proms in Georgia because a very brave student at Montgomery County High School, Anna Rich Chafen, wrote a letter to SPIN magazine begging for someone to come to her town and show the world the injustice that outraged her: the local high school’s racially segregated prom and homecoming celebrations. Although the school was integrated in 1971, segregation of these events continued. Throughout her time in high school, Anna was forbidden to take her African-American boyfriend, Lonnie, to prom. Despite her numerous, impassioned attempts to change things, including meetings with school administrators and students, her efforts were ignored or rejected.

After my first trip to Mount Vernon, Georgia in 2002 to document the segregated homecoming, I returned over and over again. I was determined to understand how such overt displays of racism could happen in a community that on the surface appeared tight-knit. People seemed polite, friendly, proud of their history, and protective of their neighbors. But the proms felt like a symptom of something larger, and I needed to explore that.

In 2009, The New York Times Magazine published a photo essay of Montgomery County High School’s segregated prom, which spurred national outrage. In 2010, the town and school finally made the decision to hold their first integrated prom. That was the moment I realized making a film in conjunction with still photographs was the best way to communicate the nuanced story of this community. Interviews were always critical to my storytelling, so making the transition to film felt like a natural evolution.

As I began filming and trying to tell the complicated story about race through the proms and the county election for the first African-American sheriff, a racially-charged killing took place: Justin Patterson, a 21-year old graduate from Montgomery County High School was shot by a 62-year-old white man, whose 19-year old daughter was involved with Justin.

Sha’von, Justin and Santa, 2012 | “My brother Justin was my best friend. I looked up to him. It’s hard for me to talk about that night, but I’ll try. My brother was talking to this girl on Facebook that he knew. She and her friend invited us over to her house. We weren’t doing anything wrong. I guess we weren’t quiet enough because Norman woke up and the next thing I know he pulled my brother and me out of the room with a gun pointing at us. He said he could kill us and nobody would know. My brother would still be with me today.” — Sha’von

Was this the first time you screened this film with younger audiences?

I’ve screened this film for all different communities and ages. The most interesting conversation have been prisoners and high school students. I have been thrilled to see that teenagers really get it — all the nuance, and they seem to really identify with the characters and be affected when they witness injustice. They are at a critical age as they find and use their voices in a raw and unguarded manner. I remind them that the high school students in the film were responsible for changing history and stopping the segregation in their community by speaking out. I recently screened Southern Rites for men incarcerated for life. They were so introspective, thoughtful, and reflective about issues of justice, morality, and race. It was sad to know that these men who had so much to contribute to a meaningful conversation, would never have the opportunity to do so in our society, outside the prison walls again.

A lively and thoughtful Q&A followed the screening at Movies That Matter. Were there any questions that resonated with you?

This is not an easy film. There are no clear cut answers, heroes, or villains. My hope is that teenagers would get that and really engage with the characters, which could then lead to some great conversations. It certainly seemed like it did that with Movies That Matter at the Jewish Museum.

There were many comments and questions from the students that I thought were really poignant. One 11th grade girl asked if I thought what older people teach us has an effect on how we see or act in society. Her grandmother always said, “keep the good and throw away the bad.” Then she said emphatically, “Isn’t it our duty to throw away the bad and create more good?” I thought that was a powerful insight.

A 15-year old male student couldn’t understand why the jury accepted the plea from Norman Neesmith, who killed Justin Patterson. He said that if it were the other way around — a black man who shot and killed a white boy — they probably would not have seen the light of day. His sadness and frustration with the judicial system was really palpable.

How does your work play into conversations about identity, culture, and tolerance for the future?

I always try to dig deeper than what we see on the surface. My goal is always to share the whole nuanced picture as much as possible so the work can challenge easy clichés and as a result, create more tolerance.

What are you working on next?

I am working on a few different projects. One involves nuns and hospice work, another centers around a family torn by the recent election, and a commission highlighting girls who do inspiring work in their communities. All projects involve still photography and film.

Watch the film Southern Rites online on HBO GO. To learn more about Movies that Matter visit TheJewishMuseum.org, contact moviesthatmatter@thejm.org, or call 212.423.3254.