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Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story
Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story is a 2012 documentary film about Mack Barkes "Booker" Wright, an African-American waiter who worked in a restaurant for whites only. In 1965, Wright appeared in Mississippi: A Self Portrait,[2] a short NBC television documentary about racism in the American South. During his interview with producer Frank De Felitta, he spoke openly about racism, and his treatment as a waiter in an all-white restaurant. The broadcast of his remarks had catastrophic consequences for Wright.[3][4][5][6][7] Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story was directed by the son of Frank De Felitta, Oscar-nominated, independent filmmaker Raymond De Felitta,[8][9] produced by David Zellerford, and co-produced by one of Booker Wright's four grandchildren, Yvette Johnson.[10] It includes interviews with those who lived in the community. They discuss life at the time, and the restaurant Wright owned, which catered to African-American customers.[11]  The documentary premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25, 2012.[1] BackgroundMississippi: A Self PortraitThe original documentary, the subject of Booker's Place: A Mississippi Story, was produced by Frank De Felitta in 1965. De Felitta worked for NBC as a documentary filmmaker. He was given his own unit, and so generally had the freedom to select his own topics. He was inspired to make Mississippi: A Self Portrait after reading a New York Times Sunday Magazine article by Hodding Carter about injustice experienced by African Americans in Mississippi. He approached NBC, and the project was approved.[10] He traveled to Mississippi to interview local residents. There, in Greenwood, he was introduced to Booker Wright, a waiter at Lusco's, a whites-only restaurant. Wright sang the menu, a gimmick at the restaurant. This was also because there were no menus, a measure used to discourage African Americans from patronizing the restaurant.[10] Wright spoke openly about his treatment by customers, and life in a racist society. The documentary appeared on NBC television.[12] Consequences of the broadcastFollowing the broadcast of the NBC documentary, Wright quit his job at the all-white restaurant after being shunned by customers. He was severely pistol-whipped by a policeman, and his own restaurant, Booker's Place was firebombed.[10] Wright was later murdered by a black customer, Lloyd Lewis (or Louis) Cork, currently serving a life sentence for his murder.[13] References
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