Name ____________________

Explore
Mississippi: A Self Portrait, was written, produced and directed by Frank De Felitta.
One day, a member of Franks crew suggested that he meet a black waiter who worked at a whites only
restaurant in Greenwood.
He came to me one day and said, I got a wonderful black man. His name is Booker Wright. And hes a waiter at
Luscos Restaurant. And what he does, is a minstrel scene. He does a singsong of the menu. And thats the only
menu they have. People wanna know the menu, they get, Booker, go tell em. And hell sing them the song of
the menu. And its absolutely delightful.
Once Frank saw Booker Wright perform the menu recitation, he arranged to film the routine the next day. So
Booker Wright recited the menu for Franks camera. Then, without warning, he shifted gears and launched into a
monologue that had been 40 years in the making:
Now thats what my customers, I say my customers are expecting from me, he began. Some people nice. Some
is not. Some call me Booker. Some call me John. Some call me Jim. Some call me @!$%#! All of that hurts but you
have to smile. The meaner the man be the more you have to smile, even though youre crying on the inside.
Youre wondering what else can I do. Sometimes hell tip you, sometimes hell say, Im not gonna tip that @!$%#,
he dont look for no tip. I say, Yes sir, thank you. Im trying to make a living.
For nearly two minutes, Booker Wright, spoke straight to the camera, and straight from the heart.
Night after night I lay down and I dream about what I had to go through with. I dont want my children to have to
go through with that. I want them to get the job they feel qualified. Thats what Im struggling for, Booker
concluded.

Explain
Do you think the national broadcast of this video had an impact on The Civil Rights Act of 1964?
After this video aired, do you think Booker Wrights life was changed? How?
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Name ____________________

Elaborated Context
Mississippi: A Self Portrait, was written, produced and directed by Frank De Felitta.
Aired on a Sunday evening in May of 1966, Booker was filmed in 1965
Frank Warned Booker:
"I said to him, 'Well, look, this is brave of you to say that, but this movie will go all over the country. They'll see it
and they could come and kill you.' He said, 'Well, so be it. I want to be heard.' I said, 'If you change your mind, you
can call me and say, Don't show it.
Following the broadcast: Booker was forced to quit his job of 25 years, he was severely beaten, pistol-whipped by a
police officer, to near death, his restaurant Bookers Place was fire bombed and a few years later he was
murdered.
Descendants of Wright have recently investigated his death and the trial of his assailant, only to find
inconsistencies in the records and leaving them with unsettled questions regarding the credibility of the murder
investigation.

Evaluation
Even though the passage of The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a groundbreaking victory for the movement, what
more was needed to be done? What does this video show us in regard to the reality of life in America for Blacks
and Whites in the years that followed?

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