Ferguson, Fiction, & The Persistence of Prejudice

In 1974, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman starring Cicely Tyson aired as a made for television movie based on the 1971 novel of the same name by by Ernest J. Gaines. One hundred ten years after the Civil War and ten years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, this movie gave Americans, both white and black, their first opportunity to openly examine and discuss the history, attitudes, and prejudices which made the Civil Rights Act necessary.

I believe it is important to note that the source for America's first, nationwide, public examination of this material was a work of fiction rather than an authentic autobiography such as Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. In 1974, the fictional Miss Jane could bring controversial material on race relations to the television sets in the homes of Americans, and those inclined to deny the existence of racial prejudice in America could dismiss it as fiction.

She was safe for public consumption. Frederick Douglas was not. In many parts of the country, he is still not safe.

In 1974, racial prejudice in America could be dismissed as the stuff of fiction. Forty years later the story told by Miss Jane Pittman airs in live news coverage of the events which have taken place in Ferguson, Missouri since the August 9 killing of Mike Brown.

If you have never read the novel or seen the film version of this book, I strongly recommend that you do so. If you are a white American who doesn't understand the many social issues at work in Ferguson today and you thinks it's not important for you to understand them, this is not a recommendation; it's a requirement.

After you've read or watched the fictionalized version of the events, attitudes, and prejudices that brought us to Ferguson, you should be ready to deal with the nonfiction version of the story. A copy of Life and Times of Frederick Douglass will do nicely.

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The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman is available from Amazon and from Barnes & Noble.

Life and Times of Frederick Douglass is also available from Amazon.