Freedom on My Mind
Freedom on My Mind(Directed by Connie Field and Marilyn Mulford, 1994)This documentary, which chronicles the story of Freedom Summer in Mississippi in 1964, is similar and style and approach to Eyes on the Prize (Henry Hampton). Like many politically engaged films, Freedom combines archival footage (visible evidence) and interviews with witnesses and participants including Bob Moses. The result creates a sense of immediacy and participation in unfolding events, while offering the observations and perspectives of hindsight.
Drawing on her own experience as a Freedom Summer volunteer, Field continues to be particularly sensitive to the role women play in movements for social change. (And she doesn't shy away from discussions of inter-racial relationships among the volunteers.)
Not surprisingly in a work of this kind, the informed viewer may notice small discrepancies regarding how many blacks registered to vote, how many murders and bombings occurred, how many people were convicted and jailed etc. The point is not to nit-pick the film, but rather to recognize that the facts are rarely clear-cut, and often contested. The film is quite successful in demonstrating how black and white students, working with the people of Mississippi played a fundamental role in the Civil Rights movement.
Historical events covered in the film include the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee's voter registration drive, the murders of Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Cheney, and the challenge of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party for representation at the 1964 Democratic Convention.
Paired with the fictionalized Mississippi Burning (Alan Parker), students would have an opportunity to discover the complex relationship between film and history.
Mark Freeman San Diego State University mfreeman@mail.sdsu.edu
