NATCHEZ, Miss. – “The Parchman Ordeal: The Untold Story,” a documentary highlighting a pivotal chapter in the Civil Rights Movement in Natchez, has found a permanent home at the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University. The film is now preserved in the university’s archives and available for free viewing on the Center’s YouTube channel.
The Margaret Walker Center acquired the film and its accompanying original interview footage through a donation from Natchez filmmakers Robert Morgan and Darrell S. White, who co-produced the film with director G. Mark LaFrancis. LaFrancis died in June 2024 following a long battle with cancer.
“The Parchman Ordeal” premiered in October 2015 at the City Auditorium in Natchez, marking the 50th anniversary of the 1965 civil rights events it depicts. The documentary presents the story of African Americans arrested in Natchez for attempting to march for their civil rights. They were later jailed at the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman in 1965, where they endured severe abuse.
“The Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University is extremely pleased to be adding the documentary film, ‘The Parchman Ordeal: The Untold Story,’ as well as its accompanying original interview footage to our oral history collection,” said Alissa Rae Funderburk, oral historian at the Margaret Walker Center.
“Though we have an extensive collection of civil rights interviews in our archive, this documentary sheds light on an important moment in the struggle and brings the stories of Parchman’s brave survivors to the forefront,” Funderburk said. “We hope that by providing access to such a thought-provoking film, we can remind our audience of the value of storytelling and the power of truth.”
Morgan said he is “deeply appreciative” of the university’s commitment to preserving and sharing Natchez’s history.
“We thank the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University for preserving the documentary and making it accessible,” Morgan said. “Honoring the roughly 150 young men and women arrested for parading without a permit during the civil rights era inspires future generations to boldly stand up against unconstitutional injustice.”
White echoed those sentiments. “The filmmakers’ mission was to accurately document the sacrifices made by those who took a stand on behalf of others, and the price they paid for their efforts,” he said. “We salute the Margaret Walker Center of Jackson State University for their commitment in helping to tell this forgotten and previously untold story.”
Lynsey Gilbert, interim director of Visit Natchez, applauded the decision by Morgan and White to partner with the Margaret Walker Center.
“This is an important documentary of Natchez’s history that highlights both the struggle and triumph of our local residents during the Civil Rights Movement,” she said. “Visit Natchez was pleased to assist the filmmakers with this new arrangement with the Margaret Walker Center. We’re especially excited to know ‘The Parchman Ordeal’ will be professionally preserved and made available to a much wider audience.”
In 2017, “The Parchman Ordeal” was recognized as the Most Transformative Film at the Crossroads Film Festival. The film was produced in partnership with the Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture and was funded in part by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council. In addition to being aired on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, it became the basis for the book, “The Parchman Ordeal: 1965 Natchez Civil Rights Injustice” (The History Press, 2018).
“The Parchman Ordeal: The Untold Story” can be viewed on the Margaret Walker Center’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/yJqTXt2tEp4
About the Margaret Walker Center
The Margaret Walker Center is an archive and museum dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and dissemination of African American history and culture. Founded as the Institute for the Study of the History, Life, and Culture of Black People by Margaret Walker in 1968, the Center seeks to honor her academic, artistic, and activist legacy through its archival collections, exhibits, and public programs.
Comments