Down in Mississippi
ABOUT DOWN IN MISSISSIPPI—“Down in Mississippi” is a powerful play by Carlyle Brown, written in 2008. Three college students – a black man, a white woman, and a white man—travel to the dangerous world of Mississippi in 1964 to register Negro voters. Along the way, they discover that before they can change the world, they will have to change themselves. “Down in Mississippi” is a celebration of a movement that gave birth to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. It blends historical context, gospel songs, and intense drama to explore the racial tensions of Freedom Summer. The themes deal with civil rights, racial tension, courage, and historical reckoning.
