We are very fortunate to live in a society where the idea of a racially segregated prom is preposterous. Sadly, the notion was quite a comfortable one in Charleston, Mississippi, until extremely recently.  In 2008, that tradition changed, and Paul Saltzman was there to capture it in the compelling Prom Night in Mississippi.    Charleston is a very small town, and while black and white students have been going to school together since 1970 (years after desegregation first took effect), their proms have always been separate. Actor Morgan Freeman, who grew up in Charleston, had long felt that the segregated prom situation had to change, and in 1997 he offered to pay for the entire prom if it was integrated. But the idea had too many opponents, so it was put on hold until 2008, when Freeman returned and made the offer again.  Tensions, excitement and the broader social context are all explored in an engaging manner, and it is truly exhilarating to see the entire town come together around an event so clearly vital to the concept of social progress.

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