♫ Last Sunday morning ♫
♫ The sunshine Felt like rain ♫
♫ The week before, They all seemed the same ♫
♫ With the help of God And true friends ♫
♫ l come to realize ♫
♫ l still had Two strong legs ♫
♫ And even wings to fly ♫
♫ Oh, l ain't wasting Time no more ♫
♫ 'Cause time goes by like ♫
♫ Like hurricanes And faster things ♫
We heard it on the radio. ln the songs, you could tell
that there was a movement--
Because we were hearing what was going on
all over the country.
Yes, yes.
And it seemed like it was real everywhere
but here. What happened?
How did we get left behind?
l lived in this part of North Carolina all my life.
Back in 1 970, these fields were flat-covered in tobacco.
Far as you could see.
lf tobacco was the blood of eastern North Carolina,
then Oxford was its heart.
For 300 years, tobacco flowed through those old warehouses.
And like blood, it kept people alive--
black and white.
After having served in Vietnam ,
and having many black soldiers around me,
where it was pretty much the norm ,
l come back home and only find a few blacks
on the Highway Patrol at the time,
it seemed a little strange to me.
But being an old North Carolina boy
and raised down in New Bern,
um , l was surprised , but at the same time,
my background told me that l wasn't too surprised .
Martin Luther King was never my favorite,
but l admired him .
l liked what he stood for.
But after Dickie Marrow was killed,
nobody was having that shit anymore.
We was about ready to kick some ass our own selves.
What is it?
Shh .
See? l told you Grandma Jessie's rich .
Wow.
There's gotta be close to $ 1 0 worth of Cokes right here.
l'm gonna take one.
She won't miss it.
Vern, Tim, come on outside
and say goodbye to your grandmother.
Vernon .
Saying our goodbyes, Mother Jessie.
Vernon , before you go,
there's something serious l've got to talk to you about.
lf my boys broke something , you know l'm good for it.
Bye, Grandma.
So long , Grandma!
l n the car! Okay, last one.
Well , l think we're ready.
Martha, l asked Vidalia to pack a basket of food for the trip.
Would you go see if it's ready?
Of course.
Anyway, Vernon ,
l know you believe you can talk your way out of every predicament,
but Oxford is not like Biscoe.
They're more set in their ways.
Don't you worry, Mother Jessie.
The Lord hasn't let us down yet.
lt's not the Lord l'm worried about, Vernon .
Let's get this show on the road , Tysons.
Load 'em up.
Oh , l'm gonna miss you so much .
You be sure and write me, you hear?
l will. l'm gonna miss it here, too.
All right, sweetie. Bye.
Bye, Mother Jessie.
Bye, Grandma.
Vernon , you take care now.
l don't want to leave.
Me, neither.
Come on , everyone. We're on an adventure.
Good morning , ladies and gentlemen .
l said good morning , ladies and gentlemen .
Good morning .
Welcome to third period English .
My name is M r. Chavis.
And l'm your teacher.
lf you could , turn with me to page 1 5 in your textbooks.
We'll be covering Ralph Ellison .
M r. Chavis.
Yes.
you really know Stokely Carmichael the Black Panther?
Yes. l know him .
When l was at U NCC, l had him speak to a student assembly.
And they let you do that?
Sure. l was head of the Student Union .
And l thought it would be a good idea if people heard what he had to say.
What's a Student Union?
A Student Union is basically an organization of students,
a place to meet, discuss ideas, affect change.
Any other questions before we start?
Yeah . Why'd you ever want to come back to Oxford?
Are you sure you priced this flour right?
l can get it over at the A&P for almost 50 cents less.
Then you just walk another mile and a half over there and buy it.
May l have a bag , please?
Why do we have a house with furniture already in it?
Because the church owns it, honey.
lt's not ours.
Remember the one where all the furniture was covered in plastic?
Hah . That was a long time ago, little buck.
Oh, Vernon, it's beautiful.
l just hope they haven't completely redecorated the place.
Just once, l'd like to paint our home myself.
Okay, everyone, best behavior.
Let's go, Tysons.
Reverend Tyson ! Hi .
You must be Martha.
Yes, hi .
l'm lsabel Taylor, and on behalf
of the ladies of First Methodist,
welcome to Oxford and your new home.
We knew y'all would be getting in late,
so we just dropped off a few things
so you'd have something for supper.
Well , thank you . Everything looks so nice.
We painted the whole house and redid the drapes.
You shouldn't have.
Well , l don't mean to be rude,
but l need to excuse myself.
But you ladies, you feel free to stay and just visit
for as long as you like.
See you Sunday.
Sure you don't need any help unpacking?
No, thanks, l'm fine. Bye.
Oh , Lord , not again .
Come in .
Mrs. Tyson?
Yes?
Hi . My name is Roseanna Allen .
l'm a friend of Vidalia, who works for your mother.
She said you might be needing some help.
Roseanna, you are a godsend .
Ben , is that you?
Yeah , it's me, Mom .
Oh , good . Dinner's ready.
And all you could see were these little feet
running down the hall , just bare bottomed ,
and him chasing him . lt was so--
You were chasing my baby?
l was trying to catch him .
l was trying to-- And you know, you would be surprised how quick he is.
He was just mad because they broke the vase.
Do you know how long we've had that, though?
l gave you the money for--
Oh , come on , that--
Quit crying about the vase.
So did you see Mary Catherine Chavis at school?
M m-hmm .
She still there? She was tough .
l still don't understand why you didn't take that offer
to start on your doctorate right away.
You know, you are always better off
just getting into it and getting it over with .
l don't know. Those kids at Mary Potter, they'll
drive Ben to graduate school faster than a scholarship.
Well , actually, l was thinking
about doing something else with my time.
Really? What's that?
Reopening the Ridley Drive-l n .
Opening up Granddaddy's old place?
Why?
Well , l think there's a need .
A need for whom?
l guess we'll find out.
♫ Un-huh ♫
♫ l know a place ♫
♫ Ain't nobody crying ♫
♫ Ain't nobody worried ♫
♫ Ain't no smiling faces ♫
♫ Unh-unh ♫
♫ No no ♫
♫ Lying to the races ♫
♫ Help me ♫
♫ Come on , come on , Somebody help me now ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Help me y'all ♫ ♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Help me now ♫ ♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Oh-ooh ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Oh, oh, mercy ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Oh , let me Take you there ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫ ♫ Oh-oh ♫
♫ Let me take you there ♫ ♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Play it Mary ♫
♫ Play your piano now All right ♫
♫ Do it do it ♫
♫ Come on now, Play on it, play on it ♫
♫ Big Daddy now ♫
♫ Daddy, Daddy, Daddy ♫
♫ Play your-- Mmm ♫
♫ Ooh , Lord ♫
♫ All right now ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫ ♫ Un-huh ♫
♫ Lying to the races l'll take you there ♫
♫ Oh ♫ ♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Ain't no smiling faces ♫ ♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Up in here, Lying to the races ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ You gotta gotta Gotta let me ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Take you, Take you, Oh my Lord ♫
♫ l'll take you there ♫
♫ Oh, l'll take you there ♫♫
How's it look?
That's good .
What do you think?
Yeah , man , good job.
My father loved this place.
This may be your Ph D.
[chuckles softly
Good morning.
Morning .
For those of you just returned from behind the l ron Curtain
or perhaps trekking somewhere high in the Himalayas
where phone service, l'm told , is not all that good--
my name is Vernon Tyson ,
your new pastor here at Oxford Methodist Church .
l want to thank all of you
who welcomed my wife Martha
and our four children ,
Vern, Tim,
Boo, and Julie, with such open arms
and made us feel so welcome this week.
Now, let us pray.
Father,
we live in difficult times that challenge our faith
in new and often difficult circumstance.
Grant us the power to choose right from wrong,
and the strength to love all people
of all races, because in the eyes of God ,
we are all equal .
ln Your holy name we pray. Amen .
Amen .
M rs. Alwin , l'm Reverend Tyson .
l heard you on the radio.
You have a beautiful voice.
Well , thank you , ma'am .
'Course, l don't usually trust preachers with beautiful voices.
They tend to think too highly of themselves.
But then l heard your sermon about the Negroes,
and l changed my mind .
l thought this is either a man
with a total disregard for his career,
or else he's one of the bravest preachers l ever heard .
Either way, he wasn't all full of himself.
Well, l'm not sure
my wife would completely agree with you on that.
She must be a good woman .
She is.
Children?
Two boys, two girls.
Good.
You know, Reverend, l've been a member of that church
for 87 years, and l've seen
20, 22 pastors stand in that pulpit,
some good, some not so good.
But they all fell into two groups.
They were either priests, or they were prophets.
The priests told us the comforting things we wanted to hear.
The prophets challenged us
with the difficult things we needed to hear.
Which one are you?
l try to be a little bit of both .
Oh, Reverend,
in these times, l think you're going to find it very hard
to be both .
♫ [male voice sings indistinct] ♫
Man , we need to put up a basketball hoop out back.
What for? Why don't you just go to the park and play?
What's so funny?
They took down all the rims.
What you mean , took down the rims? What are you talking about?
Rims, man . The town took down the rims
to keep us out of their neighborhood .
Oh , man , don't look like that.
You know how stuff changes here.
One step forward, two steps back.
Name one black person working a shop downtown .
Unless they got a broom in their hands.
They got one brother on the police force.
He been there four years
and still ain't allowed to arrest any white folks.
So what y'all gonna do about that?
Shit. People been pushing change downtown for years.
Ain't nothing gonna happen .
Yeah . l agree with you , Eddie.
Ain't nothing gonna happen--
unless you make it happen .
No one's saying you don't work hard, Robert.
Jesus. You work like a slave.
lt's just that some folks downtown want to make sure
you got things under control out here, that's all .
Now you tell those folks not to worry about their investment.
Ain't nobody gonna mess with me out here.
l got friends who'll guarantee me of that.
The change machine's empty in the laundromat.
Hello, M r. Watkins.
Larry, how you doing , son?
Fine, sir!
Now you have a good day.
Howdy.
What you need?
Driving by, see the shop,
realize l'm due for a haircut.
No.
No?
No what?
l need to make an appointment?
No.
l don't cut y'all's hair here.
All right, all right.
No problem .
l'll go to a fellow in town l know.
Y'all have a good day.
You know what, Robert?
You've got a good thing going on out here.
lf you don't die of a heart attack trying to keep it up
and if you keep that temper of yours under control ,
you might just end up a rich man .
Don't you worry about me, Billy.
l'm gonna be fine.
Next order of business, a request by Mike Taylor
for a new stop sign down his way.
Neil , is the application in order?
Yes. We've been out there and checked it out.
Then l'm looking for a motion to move this thing along .
Motion . Second .
All in favor?
Aye.
Opposed? Motion carried.
Next item .
Restoration of the basketball rims in city park.
Mr. Chavis, this is your request?
lt is, Your Honor.
Looks pretty straightforward to me.
Um . . .
unfortunately, Mr. Chavis, we are not
the jurisdictional body you need to be addressing.
That would be the town Recreational Committee,
which meets the first Tuesday of every month .
l have, Your Honor.
l beg your pardon?
l have submitted that request to the Rec Committee,
but since it never holds a quorum in its meetings,
it can't vote on that request.
Well , better luck next month .
Mr. Mayor,
the Rec Committee has not held a quorum since 1 964,
which , not coincidentally,
was the year of the Federal Civil Rights Act.
But, that may be,
but there's nothing that we can do about that.
Actually, there is, Your Honor.
Based on the town charter,
if a standing committee is without a quorum
for a period of longer than six months,
then it's possible for this council-- to call for a vote.
Neil?
He is correct, Your Honor.
But only if there is a quorum present
at the time the vote is called .
Your Honor and everybody,
l'm sorry, but l forgot l need to leave early tonight.
l'm afraid l have to leave early as well, Your Honor.
Well , that leaves us without a quorum .
Adjourned .
How'd it go?
What was that Frederick Douglass quote
your father was always so fond of reciting?
Power concedes nothing . . .
Without a demand .
Yeah, well, l demanded.
The power just rolled right over me.
Well , l don't think Frederick Douglass
expected the power to yield on his first attempt.
l guess he didn't.
Get some rest, son .
Night, Momma.
Pack of menthol Rx, please.
What you trying to pull , boy?
They're--for my momma, sir.
Yeah?
Then she ought to know that they're 35 cents.
Why'd you tell him these were for your momma?
For 35 cents, he'd sell the baby Jesus a pack of smokes.
He's got, like, 500 other--
That was awesome.
Sweet, man .
What the heck?
Hey, what're you niggers doing in our neighborhood?
What're you doing?
Y'all better get your black asses out of here
before we come over there and kick them out!
Run !
Hey!
You get home. Now.
Thank you , Roseanna.
He was gonna kill me!
And why would that be?
Well , because Jebbie threw a rock at him .
l didn't throw it!
Well , it didn't look like you did much to stop him .
You go clean up.
And get them cigarettes out your back pocket
before your momma gets home.
Thanks, Roseanna.
Good night.
See you tomorrow.
What're you gonna do?
l'm taking you on a trip, little buck.
Whoo!
Come on ! Let's go!
Come on , Daddy!
Are you speaking to me?
Yeah !
Woo-hoo!
Daddy?
When are you gonna talk to me?
l'm not, little buck.
l'm gonna show you something .
What is it, Daddy?
lt's a revival !
Tim .
Tim . lt's not a revival .
The light of Jesus.
For our God .
The light of Jesus.
The light of Christ.
The light of Jesus.
Deliverance.
We are the chosen ones.
By the fire of Calvary's cross
and the sentinel and the bearer of the light,
jointly give birth to the star.
For our God . For our God .
Let the circles of light become alive.
The light of Christ.
We mean to cleanse and purify our virtues
by burning out our vices from the fire of His word.
The light of Christ.
Honor,
truth , loyalty, purity.
For our God . For our God .
l want to go, Daddy.
Shh .
Please, Daddy. l want to go home now.
Let the circle truly become
a living representation of our order
in the darkness of the world.
When l saw the cross, l thought everything was good .
Evil can sometimes be hard to recognize.
lt hides in normal things.
People you think you know.
But recognizing evil isn't the hardest part.
lt's standing up to it,
even when nobody else will .
So essentially, the quality of our choices
determine the quality of our lives.
Which, translated, means you probably need to work a little harder.
Thank you .
Dr. Proctor, my name is Reverend Vernon Tyson .
Reverend Tyson .
Please.
l'm the pastor at the Oxford Methodist Church .
l heard you preach last year
at the North Carolina Council of Churches.
You gave a magnificent speech .
Well , thank you , Reverend Tyson .
But l'm assuming that wasn't the only reason you came to see me.
So he said yes.
And we'll get run out of town together.
You might be right about that.
Well , l think you're overreacting .
l'm just saying there are people in this town
who think that things have moved awfully fast in a very short time
and maybe they should just-- slow down a bit.
Well , if anybody bothered to ask the blacks in this town ,
they'd tell you if things went any slower they'd be going backward .
At the very least don't you think you should've consulted
with the Executive Committee before inviting him to speak?
Dr. Samuel Proctor is one of the leading educators in America.
All the more embarrassing if you have to go back
and tell him they won't let him preach .
They? Who is they?
You know full well who's they.
They, who put bread on our table.
l know what l'm doing , Martha.
Trust me.
Just promise you'll give me 24 hours notice to start packing .
Bless this food to the nourishment of our bodies.
May Your goodness and mercy be upon us
and with those less fortunate.
l n Your holy name. Amen .
Amen .
No. l got it.
Reverend Tyson .
Oh, hello, John.
Yes, as a matter of fact, we just sat down--
Yeah, sure, l'd be happy to listen .
l see.
Un-huh .
Well, l'm sorry you feel that way,
but l'm afraid l can't do that.
No.
Reverend Tyson .
ls it true you invited
a nigger to preach at our church?
Who is this?
'Cause if it's true, you're gonna regret it.
Who is this?
Fight! Fight!
Stop it! Stop it!
Tim Tyson !
What are you doing?
He called Daddy a nigger-lover.
Your daddy doesn't need you to defend him .
l wasn't defending him , Momma.
l was trying not to be wicked .
Wicked?
Daddy says the wickedest thing we can do
is to do nothing .
Oh , honey.
Dorothy.
l came as soon as l heard .
How's Joe?
He's gonna be okay.
Thank God .
Vernon . . .
he isn't gonna want to see you when he comes out.
Vernon? ls that you?
Vernon?
Dick called .
They scheduled an executive committee meeting tonight at 7 :00 .
What was l thinking , Martha?
Did l really believe l could change everything by myself?
You're not changing anything--by yourself.
l'm here.
Stand your ground .
Good evening , everyone.
Reverend Tyson .
Jack, M r. Pink.
Vernon .
Dick.
l'm assuming we're all here tonight
because of my invitation to Dr. Samuel Proctor to speak this Sunday.
Why would you do this, Vernon?
l got people coming into my store asking me
what kind of ship we're running here.
Wanting to know did we really invite
a Negro preacher to stand in our pulpit?
And what did you tell them , Jack?
l told them they heard wrong .
Ain't no Negro professor speaking in our church on Sunday.
Oh , Jack, why in the hell would you say something like that?
'Cause it's the truth , Thad !
Vernon , nobody's saying that it's perfect here,
but we've got good relations with the Negro community.
This might not be time to--to stir things up.
What time is a good time, Dick?
A year from now?
What, five years from now, Doug?
Does that sound about right? Once your boys graduate high school?
Ten years from now? Heck, this is starting to sound like work.
Why don't we just leave it for the next generation to fix?
lf this man speaks on Sunday,
there will be a breach
that will split this congregation .
ls he worth tearing this church apart over?
You , um , you can end this with one call , Vernon .
Just call him and tell him don't come.
We're living beneath a dam , gentlemen ,
a dam that's holding back 300 years of wrong .
Now, you can say that dam ain't going to break
all you want, but when the rains come
and that dam bursts open
and all that's bad comes flooding out,
you won't have time to run for high ground.
Now is the time.
That's why l invited him .
And that's why l'm not making that phone call .
Well , that's all well and good , Vernon ,
but this is our church ,
and you don't have a right to do this.
Well , actually, Jack, l do. And you gave it to me.
This is the Methodist Book of Discipline.
lt defines the rules that govern our denomination .
And it says--
"the pastor of this church can determine the number
and the nature of services held in the sanctuary."
And for the moment, l am still the pastor of this church .
Now, if you see things differently,
you give Bishop Grayson Tullis a phone call
and you let him know.
Otherwise, l have a job to do tomorrow, gentlemen .
And l hope to see you all there.
Reverend Tyson?
You never asked me what l was going to speak about.
No, sir.
l didn't think that was my place.
Thank you .
Shall we face the lions?
l come to you today
to talk about a problem of enormous magnitude.
Something some of you would probably rather not hear about.
But it is a subject that affects us.
l am the president of North Carolina A&T,
a black university of approximately 4,000--
l'll be right back.
outstanding young men and women .
Among our many fine accomplishments
is our football program .
The other day, my coach came in to see me.
He told me that the finest running back
he had ever seen is down at New Bern .
Now, this prospect's daddy and his brother both went to A&T.
But when my coach went down to recruit him,
he say he ain't coming to A&T.
Said he's going to school over at Chapel Hill,
says he's going to play for the Tarheels.
They got the big school over there, big money,
the big stadium , and he's going to play for them .
Then my poor coach drove over to Kinston
to see about this 300-pound offensive tackle they got
at the Negro high school there.
A fine young man , good grades,
but he say he ain't coming to A&T, either.
That his mama wants him to play for N .C. State
and wear the red and white of the Wolfpack.
Well , when Coach finished , he looked at me defeated ,
and said , "l'm sorry, but we're going to struggle
"next year on the football field
and probably for years to come."
l've never seen a sadder man .
l walked over and put an arm around him and said ,
"See, that's the problem with all this integration ,
Coach , that's just the price we're going to have to pay."
Our lesson today comes from the Book of John .
Willie Mae? You listening to the radio?
Willie Mae?
Daddy!
What'd they feed you over there, boy? You're getting big .
Ah ! Cockroaches.
Take this off, handsome.
How are y'all all doing?
You're looking great, looking great.
That M iss Mary Catherine?
How you doing , son?
Hey, M r. Yancey.
Thank you for coming tonight. l really appreciate it.
You look great. You look great.
Thank you , sir.
Still growing up like a weed , but you look great.
Thank you . See you guys in a little bit.
See you .
How you doing , man?
Fanny. Hey, baby, how you doing?
lt's good to see you .
Good to see you . l'll see you in a little bit.
Hey, Roseanna.
Hey.
You look wonderful .
Auntie Roberta.
Wonderful .
Give me some of that sugar.
Yes. Yes.
Dickie, we took care of Willie Mae and the girls for you .
Just like you took care of me.
Yes.
Now it's your turn to take care of them .
l will . l promise.
Hey, darling .
Betsy, you didn't let him touch none of this food , did you?
Well , well , well . What the cat dragged in .
How's life at the rubber plant?
lt's good . They're starting up a late shift next week,
but l ain't too interested in that.
Well , good . You can help me down at the store
in all your spare time.
Did you put that chain on that boat trailer like l told you?
Yeah .
Well , you better have.
You let something like that slip
and you go back and that boat won't be there.
The chain's there. Boat'll be there when we get back.
Like that time you left the bolt undone
on the back door and they stole us blind down at the shop.
That was an accident.
Took care of that.
Yeah , when it was too late.
You need to use your head , son .
Yes, sir.
Betsy went to the doctor today.
The baby's doing fine. Everything looks okay.
Maybe once that baby comes, y'all'll come by more often .
You ready to be a granddaddy?
Hmpf.
You ready to be an uncle, boy?
l don't even like being a brother.
Go on back upstairs and start packing your bags, then .
All right, you see M r. Fox here?
M r. Fox needs some sleep, too, just like you need some sleep.
All right? All right. So get to bed .
l'll see you in the morning . All right?
Why don't you go find Boo
and play a couple hands of bid whist.
l know you've been wanting to catch up.
l'll be okay.
l'll be back in a bit.
l'll be waiting .
Go on .
Who's there?
lt's Dickie, Fanny. How you feeling?
Oh , l'm hanging in there.
lf you're looking for Boo, he ain't here.
Think he's at Four Corners.
lf you're going over there,
will you get me a ice-cold soda?
l sure am thirsty.
You got it.
And don't go getting in no trouble.
Bring my soda right back here to me.
Yes, ma'am .
Okay. l took out the trash and broke down those boxes.
Anything else?
Yeah . Go lock up the barber shop.
How much longer we gonna be here?
Well , till the old man turns the lights out.
He closing up?
l'll bet you that's the last time Roger comes over for dinner.
Hey, Dickie. ls that you?
Yes, ma'am , M rs. Downing .
Seen Boo?
No, man .
Nowhere.
All right.
Hey, girls.
Y'all looking good tonight.
ls this where all the action is?
l can't believe y'all out here all by y'allselves.
Hey, nigger! Hey, you!
That's my wife you're talking to.
Hey, man , listen , l was just talking to the sisters here.
Right.
Hey, man , it's cool. Listen, listen.
l was just talking to the sisters over here.
The hell you were.
Man , what're you doing?
l'll show you what l'm doing .
Larry, no!
Hey!
Larry, no!
Stop it! Larry, stop!
Stop!
Damn !
You're crazy, man !
He's got a knife!
Hey, Dickie! Dickie, run !
Hey, where's the fire?
l didn't do nothing !
Okay, okay, man .
You got me.
Let's just forget about it. You got me, man .
Okay?
Better stop that before you kill him !
You better get back in your house, woman !
Go lock up the stores.
Oh , God .
Oh , God , Dickie.
Ba-bro, get us a car. Go get us a car!
Honey, we got to find him .
Oh , dear. Okay, you look over here.
Ma'am , stop. You can't go in there.
Over here.
Dickie? Dickie, it's Roberta.
l'm right here, honey.
Ma'am , you'll have to leave.
Oh , my God !
What have they done to you?
They're going to have to take him to Duke Hospital .
No. No!
l ain't going to no damn police station .
They ain't gonna listen to a word l got to say.
Boo, l'll take you down .
Ain't nobody gonna mess with us.
Who's on the desk?
Let me speak with him .
Dale.
Yeah , this is Billy Watkins.
l understand there was a shooting tonight
at, um, Mr. Teel's store out at Four Corners.
M m-hmm . Yeah .
He's with me.
l'll bring him in a little later.
'Preciate it.
Do you still have people up in Berea?
Yeah .
Call 'em . Tell them you're gonna be staying
with 'em for a while.
Well , what you want me to do?
Go upstairs.
Get yourself a pillowcase.
Fill it with all the money you can put your hands on .
You're gonna need it.
Excuse me, Sergeant.
This is William Chavis.
He was shot this evening by M r. Robert Teel .
M r. Teel and his sons killed Dickie Marrow.
lt was witnessed by M r. Chavis
and he'd like to report that murder,
his own assault, and swear out a warrant for the Teels' arrest.
Have a seat.
Sorry.
All that time he was in the service,
l prayed that nothing would happen to him .
l prayed and prayed.
Somebody should've told me l needed to be praying
he wouldn't get shot in his own hometown .
Nothing l can do.
C'mon , Boo. Let's go home.
John , l just heard .
What can l do?
lt's too late, Vernon . Too late.
Go on home.
Oh , nice one.
So close.
Hey, where you been?
Home. Y'all hear?
Daddy, Roger, and them shot them a nigger.
Why?
Said something he shouldn't have to Larry's wife Judy.
Tim Tyson .
Come in for supper.
What're we having?
l am not announcing my menu to the neighborhood.
Come in now.
Shh . lt's only me.
Daddy.
ls everything going to be okay?
Go to sleep, little buck.
Y'all , come on .
Let's go around back.
Quiet, please.
This morning, l dispatched a telegram to the Governor's office
informing him of the events of last night,
as well as my intention to declare the existence of a state of emergency
and the imposing of a curfew for all citizens
from 7:30 in the evening until 6 in the morning, beginning tonight.
Further, l requested from him the assistance of State Troopers
to help enforce this curfew.
And most importantly, to restore a safe, secure,
and law-abiding environment for the hearing tomorrow
and for the trial in the months to come.
All citizens my ass!
Damn right.
That curfew ain't nothing
but a No Niggers After Nightfall Act.
That's right.
You can have. . .
whatever you can take.
Yeah .
That's right.
Yeah , M r. Chavis.
But you can only keep--
what you can--
hold .
That's right. We're gonna keep it!
Keep what, Darrel?
Beer? Cigarettes? TV sets?
You think that's why the State Troopers are here?
Because you broke some windows and stole some groceries?
They're not.
You want to know why they're here?
They're here because last night, when you hit those streets,
you took something more valuable than you could ever imagine.
Something our families have been fighting for for years.
l'm talking about equality.
And they're not going to let you keep it without a fight.
l ain't giving it back.
Me, neither.
Good .
M r. Chavis!
M r. Chavis, where you going?
What's going on?
Come on !
Please take a seat quickly and quietly.
Proceed.
l saw three men standing over Dickie.
Can you identify those men?
Yes.
Two of them are over there.
Robert Teel , he had a shotgun ,
and Larry Teel , he had a rifle.
Where's the third man?
Your Honor, none of the witnesses were able
to positively identify the third man .
Hey, Momma.
Hey.
l took my students to the Teel hearing today.
l heard .
Quite a show.
Yeah , it was a show, all right.
l just wanted them to witness the legal process, you know?
All they saw was the same old Oxford .
Every rich businessman in town sang that killer's praises
like he was the Lord Jesus himself.
l made a phone call today.
l called Ralph Abernathy.
He's sending someone to help.
♫ Mmm ♫
♫ Oh , freedom ♫
♫ Oh , freedom over me ♫
♫ Before l'll be a slave ♫
♫ l'll be buried ln my grave ♫
♫ And go home To my Lord and be free ♫
Good morning , gentlemen .
l thought l was coming to a funeral .
You fellows look like you're expecting an attack.
We're expecting a fellow from out of state to stir things up.
Stir things up? What's his name?
His name's Frinks.
Golden Frinks?
He's coming here?
Hoo-hoo, hell of a speaker.
That man can flat-out ring the bells of heaven
when you get him going .
You ever heard him preach?
No. Can't say that we have.
Hot as a pepper.
He was with the late Dr. King
in Selma, Montgomery, and Birmingham .
l heard he been arrested over 50 times
for his civil rights involvement.
And on top of all of that,
he's a hell of a sharp dresser.
You boys ever seen a picture of him?
No, sir.
He always wears a dashiki
with a big cross 'round his neck.
But stir things up?
Now, l don't know how you can stir up a funeral .
We can't let you in , M r. Frinks.
l understand . l understand completely.
l see them watches.
You boys get them in Vietnam?
Yes, sir.
Well , you know Dickie Marrow was a vet, too.
He served .
He was a soldier, just like y'all .
And he deserves a whole lot better than all of this.
No, sir, M r. Jones.
You're not too late. Go right ahead .
. . .one of the closest Scriptures in my heart,
and l say that--
Praise the Lord .
l n the name of our Lord , the Almighty.
Amen .
Yes. Amen .
Pastor, could l say a few words?
Thank you .
This young man--
was a husband, he was a daddy.
He was a son , an uncle. . .
and a cousin .
For 30 years, l've been attending the funerals of soldiers.
Soldiers of the movement.
And l've had enough of it.
Yes, sir.
Now, l know we're here to bury Dickie Marrow today,
but when l look in your faces,
l see there's something else that needs to be buried .
Discrimination .
Yes.
Segregation .
That's right.
Amen . Yes.
Bigotry!
That's right!
And all the complicity
of pulling a people down .
Yeah !
That's right! Yes!
Now, to them downtown who put that statue up,
this young man here
is just another nigger dead .
Yeah .
But it ain't gonna end that way
'cause what's gonna end up dead is Jim Crow!
Jim Crow's gonna be dead .
Yes.
Now, l know we ain't got no permit.
We ain't got nothing .
But we are marching on .
That's right. M m-hmm .
We're going to go march
to that Confederate monument downtown ,
and we're going to tell that old soldier
it's time for him to come down .
And that South that he's guarding
for all those years is dead .
And we will tell him loud , like,
because he's a old man
and he has a hard time hearing these kind of things.
Preach it now, preach it.
You don't represent us, and you never did !
Yes! Go ahead !
This here is our South , too!
That's right.
We were born here. . .
grew up here. . .
work here. . .
raise our children here. . .
Yes, Lord .
and we ain't gonna be silent no more!
No more!
And then we're going to tell him
that this young man here, Dickie Marrow,
didn't die for nothing .
Yes, sir.
He died for us.
Yes, he did .
And we're never gonna forget it.
Never! Yes!
♫ Ain't gonna let Nobody know ♫
♫ Turn me around ♫
♫ Turn me around , l ain't Gonna let nobody know ♫
♫ Turn me around , We gotta keep On walking ♫
♫ Keep on talking ♫
♫ Walking up The freedom way ♫
♫ Don't you let nobody know ♫
♫ Turn it around, Turn it around ♫
♫ Turn it around And let segregation know ♫
♫ Turn you around, We gotta keep On walking ♫
♫ Keep on talking ♫♫
You're Elizabeth Chavis' boy, aren't you?
How you doing , M r. Frinks? l'm Ben .
Call me Goldie.
Come on , everybody. Unh . Ungawa.
Unh , unh , black power.
Say it again .
Unh . Ungawa.
Mean it.
Unh , unh , black power.
Unh . Ungawa. Unh , unh , black power.
Vernon , l believe your damn has burst.
Ungawa. Black power.
So what's your plan , Goldie?
My plan?
Ben , look all around you .
See these young people?
They are alive and energized
because they had a taste of some of that freedom wine.
And they liked it.
Their spirits are flying right now
with the possibilities
of all that that wonderful drink can bring them .
My plan , as you call it,
is to keep that wine flowing .
And how are you going to do that?
We. How are we gonna keep it flowing?
We start off by getting hold of a mule.
A mule?
♫ Hold on, l'm coming ♫
♫ l'm on my way ♫
♫ Your lover ♫
♫ lf you get cold, yeah, l will be your cover ♫
♫ Don't have to worry ♫
♫ 'Cause l'm here ♫
♫ Don't need to suffer, baby ♫
♫ 'Cause l'm here ♫
♫ Just hold on ♫
♫ l'm coming ♫
♫ Hold on ♫
All right.
Come here, baby.
Here we go. All right.
You okay?
Well , y'all be good now.
All right, momma.
lf you get thirsty, you go and help yourself, all right?
All right?
Don't worry. Ain't nothing gonna happen .
Seventy people.
A man is murdered , and we got 70 people to march to Raleigh .
lt's not where you start.
lt's where you end that counts.
Let's go.
Come on .
That's what l'm worrying about.
M ight not be anybody left by the time we get to Raleigh .
Get back on . Keep on keeping on , sister.
All right.
How long they been back there?
About a half hour.
They just been watching?
They ain't offered me a ride yet.
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
Yee-ha!
Come on , let's get back on the road .
lt's gonna take a lot more than that to stop us.
ls everybody okay?
You all right?
Check everybody out. Check everybody out. Help them out.
lt's gonna take a lot more than that.
Let's get back in line and let's keep on marching.
Come on .
lt's all locked up.
Thought someone was supposed to be here.
Maybe they got the message that it might not be healthy.
Come on , come on .
You think this is bad? This ain't bad .
You'll know bad when you see it.
What exactly does bad look like?
Fellas, fellas.
Sorry we're late.
Better late than never.
All right then , my brother.
Let's get in here, man .
Hey, guys, bring some food .
Everybody's probably hungry.
So l heard the Klan had meetings all around us last night.
Well , at least somebody knows we're out here.
Come on .
All right. You okay? All right.
Hi !
Who's this?
l made some calls down east.
Thought it was time to prime the pumps a little bit,
get our numbers right.
Hey, y'all . Right on time.
Welcome, welcome.
Glad y'all here.
Welcome now. Welcome.
l know, baby. l know you don't want to get back on that wagon .
But we just got one more day, okay?
And then we'll be all right.
l love you .
♫ Wandering road lead me ♫
♫ To finding my own ♫
l got here as soon as l could .
♫ Place that Was meant For me ♫
So glad you came.
♫ l'm not alone ♫
You okay?
Yeah .
♫ A darkness is parting ♫
♫ How far we've come ♫
♫ A new hope's arising ♫
♫ Leading us on ♫
♫ Wandering road behind me ♫
♫ Finding my stride ♫
♫ Struggle and pain, sorrow ♫
♫ Till arms open wide ♫
♫ The darkness has parted ♫
♫ No turning back ♫
♫ A new hope's arising ♫
♫ Leading us on ♫
Now this is what l'm talking about.
Power.
This is a great day
in the history of black people in Raleigh .
ln North Carolina.
Yeah !
Everywhere.
Right now,
Ben Chavis and Henry Marrow's widow, Willie Mae,
they're going to go have a meeting with the Governor.
Yeah !
This is a day for us to come together for justice.
Yeah !
Jesus rode into Jerusalem
on the back of a donkey.
Ain't nobody in there.
Willie Mae and her two beautiful daughters--
l thought you said M r. Frinks contacted the Governor.
That's what he said . That's what he told me.
So many long, hot miles.
50 long , hot miles to bring us right here today.
Yes!
All those people who walked
thought we were talking to the Governor.
My girls rode all the way here.
For what?
What?
Please, just get me out of here.
Come on .
Okay.
We will not stop till we have justice! No!
And because blood done signed our names.
Come on !
The blood of Martin Luther King.
Blood of Malcolm X.
Yes!
The blood of Medgar Evers.
The blood of Dickie Marrow
brought us here today.
Wait, they're back. Let's hear what they got to say.
Tell us what the Governor said.
Ben Chavis is going to tell us what Governor Scott has said.
Brother, speak!
Governor Scott has chosen not to meet with us today.
What?
Come on , man .
Neither he nor the Lieutenant Governor
nor any of their staff, though they were told we were coming ,
chose to make themselves available!
What the Governor just told us by his absence
is that to the white power structure,
Dickie Marrow's just another nigger dead!
No!
Well, Governor, you mark this day on your calendar.
Because the day for begging for black people
in North Carolina is over!
And you will never forget this day again !
♫ Let us praise God together ♫
♫ On our knees ♫
♫ Let us praise God together ♫
♫ On our knees ♫
♫ When l fall on my knees ♫
♫ With my face To the rising sun ♫
♫ O Lord ♫
♫ Have mercy on me ♫
So you see what we accomplished today?
lf we stick together and stand together,
there's nothing we can't do.
See you on the bus.
You told Willie Mae that we was going to meet with the Governor
when you knew he wouldn't see us, didn't you?
l told her the truth .
l told her l notified his office that we were coming .
You let her and her girls ride on top of that fake coffin
for 50 miles, knowing that meeting wasn't gonna happen .
That don't bother you?
You think Dickie Marrow's murder
is the worst civil rights lynching ever?
lt doesn't even come close to the things l've seen .
And you think her pain is any different
from the pain of those other families?
Now, what's special about his death is
that it gives us an opportunity to make things better.
Who do you think l am?
l'm not Dr. King .
l'm not one of his golden boys.
l'm a stoker, man .
You understand?
They send me in to the towns to keep things hot.
That's my job.
l'm just a stoker.
ln Raleigh today,
groups of blacks marched in protest
over the killing of a Negro Oxford man last week.
Governor Scott's refusal to meet with black leaders
has reportedly angered many of the marchers.
Local police in Oxford continue to claim
that the situation there is under control.
Shit, man , put that damn thing out.
Okay, now we sync watches.
Sync on five,
four,
three,
two, one.
We got a call . Come on .
Let's go.
Go, go, go, go. Go!
Come on .
Hurry up. Hurry up!
Eddie, what you doing , man?
Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Something's wrong .
Maybe it didn't catch .
Just give it a second .
Shit. lt didn't catch .
Eddie!
Eddie.
l think it worked .
Daddy?
lt's big .
Daddy, is it coming here?
Oh , no, honey.
lt's okay.
Ain't nothing gonna happen unless you make it.
l've presided over several racially charged cases.
l harbor no prejudice against Negroes.
l was raised in a mainly black county.
l ate with them . l played with them .
We had an instinctive love for the Negro race.
Black power!
My secretary is black.
That should show you how l feel about them .
l have heard the arguments
that this community is too turbulent for a trial .
But l do not feel they present
an adequate reason for moving these proceedings.
Does it concern you that only 9 of the 1 00 juror candidates
examined for this trial were black?
No. Why would that concern me?
Because Warren County, from which the jury pool is drawn ,
is in fact more than 2/3 black.
This is a fair and impartial jury.
And it'll be a fair and impartial trial .
M r. Burgwyn , is the prosecution ready?
Yes, we are, Your Honor.
We call Dr. Page Hudson to the stand .
The deceased had two serious fractures of the skull ,
one on the top of his head , the other on the back.
He also had bruises and abrasions all over his body,
both .41 0 and 1 2-gauge shotgun wounds on the backs of his legs,
as well as a .22-caliber bullet wound in the center of his forehead.
l'd been hanging with the fellas
in the shed at the old fish market.
Suddenly l hear Dickie and a white man arguing.
That's when l saw Mr. Teel
come out the store with a shotgun .
And what did you do?
l ran !
l mean, we all ran.
l heard about two or three shots.
And , uh , then l came back.
l saw Larry Teel
standing over Dickie with a shotgun .
l--yelled at him .
"Stop before you kill that boy."
Finally, l heard the shot.
Who was holding the rifle, M rs. Downing?
Who was holding the gun
that fired the final shot?
Him there.
Larry Teel .
l was on my way to find everybody
when Willie and Jimmie and them flew by me.
Then l heard a shotgun blast.
And after they beat him , what happened?
There was one more shot.
Sounded like a cap pistol .
No further questions, Your Honor.
Boo, have you ever been in any trouble?
Legal trouble?
Yeah . But l ain't on trial .
What kind of trouble?
Stuff.
Receiving stolen goods,
breaking and entering?
That kind of stuff?
Yeah , but l ain't killed nobody.
l'm sorry. l didn't say you did .
Did you serve time for those crimes?
Yeah .
l n fact, you're on probation right now,
isn't that correct?
Yeah .
M r. Chavis, do you see the man
that fired the shot that killed Dickie Marrow?
Yes.
Will you get up and go over and touch him?
Yeah , sure.
Please.
Touch him .
Thank you . That's all .
ls the defense ready, Mr. Watkins?
Yes, we are, Your Honor.
What did Dickie Marrow say to you?
He said , "Hey, white girl ."
Huh .
Had you said anything to him?
No, sir.
And then what happened?
And then Larry told him , "Don't be speaking to her like that."
And then he came at Larry with a knife,
and l screamed for help.
He said, "Hey, white girl. Hey, you bitch ."
l said , "Don't talk to my wife like that."
And he said , uh , "Come on , l'm a soul brother."
Then he pulled his knife on me.
After he went down , what happened?
l hit him with my fists,
took the knife away from him , then stood up.
The rifle that shot him .
Were you holding the rifle?
No, sir.
Did you see who was holding it?
No. l was looking down at him on the ground .
Did you recognize the other men?
lt was happening so fast.
The boy attacked me.
And l ran after him--
Larry--
did you recognize the other men?
My father was there.
l recognized his voice when he said ,
"l'm gonna call an ambulance and the police."
And what about the other man?
l didn't know who he was.
ln a surprise move here Thursday, Larry Teel,
son of a local barber, Robert Teel,
took the witness stand in Granville County Superior Court
and denied that he shot and killed a local Negro man .
Were you holding the rifle?
No, sir.
Did you see who was holding it?
So tell me, Roger, one more time, what happened .
l heard Judy call for help.
l ran after my father.
When l got to the other side of the fish market,
l saw him and Larry and joined them .
Did Larry Teel at any time that night
have a gun in his hand?
No.
Then how could that last shot have been fired?
Roger?
l was holding it.
Someone bumped my shoulder, and the gun went off.
l didn't mean to kill anybody.
lt was an accident.
No further questions, Your Honor.
lf this was an accident,
why did you let your father and brother
stand trial for first-degree murder?
'Cause my lawyers told me not to say nothing .
Do you mean to tell this jury
that you let them sit in jail
without the privilege of bond for three months,
and didn't tell anybody that you shot this man
or that it was an accident?
Your father and your brother were on trial for their lives!
For their lives!
And you have not set foot in this courtroom
until today!
My attorney told me not to come.
That boy lay on the ground
begging for his life, helpless, Roger.
Did you kick him?
We was all kicking him .
And did you beat him
with the stock of that rifle, Roger?
His skull was fractured.
Did you hit him with it?
l refuse to answer on the grounds that it may incriminate me.
Who told you to say that?
Who told you to plead the Fifth Amendment?
My lawyers. M r. Watkins.
And did they tell you that all the witnesses had testified
that Larry was holding the gun?
And that if you said that you shot the rifle
and that it was an accident,
that your father and brother might not have to go to prison?
l refuse to answer on the--
Your brother shot that boy, didn't he, Roger? !
And you and your daddy helped kill him , didn't you?
They let you stay home with your wife and your baby.
Now you're supposed to help them
and say that you shot him
because they know there isn't a witness anywhere
that can testify to that effect.
Nobody but your wife and your attorney,
and neither one of them can testify against you .
But l'm sure they told you that, too, didn't they, Roger?
No further questions.
Lieutenant Williams,
why wasn't the third man indicted?
There was a third party mentioned
from time to time during the investigation ,
but none of my witnesses were able to make
a positive identification of a third person ,
and they all saw the defendant, Larry Teel , fire the fatal shot.
Three men beat Dickie Marrow
while he helplessly begged for his life,
more than a hundred feet off of their property.
First they shot him as he was running away,
and then , when he was flat on his back,
they beat him , and they kicked him .
And they stomped him
and hit him in the head with a shotgun butt
over and over.
Then they put a bullet in his head,
just like you or l would kill a snake,
and they called it self-defense.
Then , after the state proved beyond any doubt
that this killing
was by no stretch of the imagination
an act of self-defense,
they came up with a new story.
An accident.
Or what they might call--
accidental self-defense.
Of course, there is no such category, ladies and gentlemen ,
and nothing remotely like that happened .
This case is one of the most serious cases
ever to be tried in this state.
And the outcome will affect events in this community,
the state of North Carolina,
and across the nation .
We cannot tell the world
that we have one system of justice for Negroes
and another for whites.
We must face the truth
and we must act upon it
or be damned by our lies forever.
Shh shh shh .
l--l hear that baby cry,
and l can't help but think about a little girl
going to have to grow up now
without knowing her father.
And l can't help but hear that cry
as a cry from Dickie Marrow,
saying , "Don't let them kill me--
"and just tell the world it was an accident.
Please!--Don't let them do that to me."
And if you do, ladies and gentlemen ,
well , you may as well hang a wreath
on the courthouse door on the way out,
because you just as clearly say to the world
that justice is dead--in Granville County.
What's your plan , Ben?
What's my plan?
M m-hmm .
You mean for tomorrow?
The day after tomorrow.
l haven't really thought about it. Why?
There's been a killing down in Louisiana.
Young girl . They need a stoker down there.
That's not what they need here anymore.
After tomorrow. . .
they need a leader.
The jury's coming back!
Hey!
Mr. Foreman,
has the jury reached a unanimous verdict?
We have, Your Honor.
Will the defendants please rise?
We, the members of the jury,
unanimously find the defendant Larry Teel not guilty--
Let us pray.
Father, we have been tempted
to love things and use people.
When we have been called
to love people
and use things.
We ask Your forgiveness
for our complicity in these sins
and in the evils of our own time.
And pray Your healing
upon our hearts.
Amen .
♫ You've got To know ♫
♫ Well ♫
♫ lt may be hard ♫
♫ You may be poor ♫
♫ You may be rich ♫
♫ Now when we all ♫
♫ Get ready ♫
♫ You gotta move ♫
♫ You've got To move ♫ ♫
Why?
No, not--not-- not why did this happen ,
'cause we know the answer to that.
Yes, that's right.
Why do we do what we do?
Every day in this town .
We know better.
Why do we watch movies at white-owned theaters
where we still must sit in the balconies
and enter and exit through a side door?
Why do we spend our money in stores where blacks
are only welcomed as customers and never as employees.
That's right. That's right.
And why do we put our money into banks
that refuse to hire blacks except as janitors,
and are loathe to give us loans for anything except automobiles.
Why is there only one African-American on the police force
and none on the fire department?
, grocery store workers--
Yet we make up 40% of the population of this county.
Why?
Why do we do what we do
every day in this town?
Fear?
Tradition?
No, that's not good enough , not anymore.
Power concedes nothing without a demand ,
and we need to start demanding some things, people.
And l'm not talking about sometime in the future,
it's a change that needs to happen right now.
Right now.
Until that change comes,
we need to take our money elsewhere.
He started the change.
That took strength .
That took a lot of strength .
The women held it together.
Mostly, we shopped out of town .
Went to Henderson .
Yes. Durham .
Durham .
lt took a while.
About three months.
Yeah, about three months.
lt worked.
Because we took dollars away from here
and took them somewhere else.
Exactly.
After the tobacco warehouses was destroyed ,
the tobacco market moved on down to Kinston .
And everybody felt it,
especially the white people.
Dick? What you doing out here?
Hey, Vernon .
Vernon .
Gray.
C'mon in .
Close the door, please.
That's a right good-size hole you're digging there, brethren .
Yeah . We're digging a hole big enough so we can bury
every sorry sumbitch in Oxford .
Well , that's the stupidest damn thing l've ever heard of.
Who's going to be left to cover us all up?
That's good . That's real good .
And they have sand dunes in Wilmington .
White, white sand dunes.
Where it's the ocean in the distance there.
And we're gonna run over them sand dunes
and we're gonna run in the water.
And we're gonna just go crazy. You in? You in?
You in? Yeah?
Hey, $5 .00 , please, and can l borrow that air gauge?
C'mon , pumpkin .
Thank you .
Daddy?
Did we get run out of town?
Of course not.
We've been offered a new church in Wilmington .
lt's a good church , too.
Some of the kids at my school
said that you were the reason that everything happened .
They said their parents are glad that you're gone.
l imagine some of them'll be crowing about now, that's true.
But you know, the rooster crows and the sun comes up
and that old rooster thinks he done it all by himself.
But the Lord sees it a little bit differently.
l did what l had to do, little buck.
Let's go.
Everybody in the car.
We're on an adventure.
Thank you .
Did you ever hear Golden Frinks?
Yeah , l heard Golden Frinks preach once.
Long time ago at a funeral .
He flat rang the bells of heaven , too.
Who's Golden Frinks?
♫ Wandering road lead me ♫
♫ To finding my own ♫
♫ A place that was Meant for me ♫
♫ l'm not alone ♫
♫ A darkness ♫
♫ ls parting ♫
♫ How far we've come ♫
♫ A new hope's arising ♫
♫ Leading us on ♫♫