“So people get ready, there’s a train a comin’

You don’t need no baggage, you just get on board

All you need is faith to hear the diesels hummin’

Don’t need no ticket, you just thank the Lord.”

- Curtis Mayfield

CAN YOU IMAGINE…

… being sent to a maximum-security prison simply because you sat in the wrong area in a bus station waiting room?

On May 24, 1961, 19-year-old Jean Thompson boarded a Trailways bus in Montgomery, Alabama with 11 other young Freedom Riders. They were bound for New Orleans – and history.

These young Freedom Riders were putting their lives on the line to end segregated bus travel. Looking back, Jean realized that her father had prepared her for that day all of her life. 

“My parents always talked about the injustice of segregation, but they were optimistic; they didn’t feel like it was going to last forever,” Thompson recalled. “They raised us to be ready.” 

That life-changing day for Jean Thompson was the beginning of a movement that sent freedom rolling through the South, but only after some of the Freedom Riders were bombed, beaten and sent to Parchman Prison in Mississippi. 

Can you imagine being sent to a notorious prison in Mississippi .. as a  19-year-old… in 1961?

ARE YOU READY…?

What would compel these young Freedom Riders to endure such hardships?

For decades that question was rarely asked because the historical significance of the Freedom Rides was missing from most history books and class discussions.

“The Freedom Riders? Wasn’t that a movie about those teenagers in California?” (No, that was The Freedom Writers.)

On March 5, 2011, my ensemble of mostly college students, left North Carolina and embarked on a journey to take The Parchman Hour, a play written and directed by me, Mike Wiley, on tour to Mississippi. (Many thanks to the Mississippi Conference of the United Methodist Church for sponsoring this tour as part of their racial reconciliation initiative). During our opening night on March 6th we earned the Jessie Harris Freedom Rider seal of approval and experienced the magnificence of documentary theatre! (Have you watched the video? Wasn't that an incredible moment?)

After the tour, one of the ensemble members wrote:

"Here I am, in 2011, exactly 50 years after the rides, in the same stage of life as the people who took a chance and risked everything for social justice. I realize these people, these heroes, martyrs and leaders didn't wait until someone deemed them adult or educated. They stepped up immediately to bring change to their communities. They saw a problem, became the solution, and took action. This narrative [The Parchman Hour] has given me even greater inspiration to fight for what I know is right and to do that sooner rather than later."  Emma DeWitt (Taken from Reflections in Mississippi: The Parchman Hour Tour)

That's the power and beauty of this documentary play. It entertains, inspires and educates in a medium young people in the 21st century understand: 3D, High Definition, Live Action!

GET ON BOARD!

On May 22, 2011, Freedom Riders from across the nation are gathering in Jackson, MS for the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides.  This five-day reunion will end at Jackson State University with a special performance of The Parchman Hour on Thursday, May 26th at 7:30 p.m..

That’s right! Based on the reviews from our performances in March, we have been invited back. However, no one is sponsoring us this time.

Since the payment for our performance does not cover the full cost for the charter bus or lodging, we are asking for your support.

Funds above and beyond the requested $7000 will be used to turn our life-changing journey into an educational documentary. The documentary will show how The Parchman Hour grew from class discussions into a powerful stage performance.

"So people get ready,

there’s [a play] a-coming.

You don’t need no ticket.

You just get on board!"

Please join our effort to inspire and educate young people about the heroic acts of a group of mostly college students who became know as The Freedom Riders.

("Hey, didn’t Mike Wiley write a play about them?" Yes, I did, and I hope you will be able to see it in Jackson, MS on May 26th!)

THANK YOU!

Mike Wiley, Writer/Director

Reviews, Photos, Radio, Blogs:

Here's more information about The Parchman Hour:

• The Parchman Hour Updates and Photos (The Center For Documentary Studies at Duke) http://www.cdsporch.org/archives/5129

•  Local Newspaper Review: http://www.indyweek.com/artery/archives/2010/12/03/mike-wiley-productions-the-parchman-hour'

• Review of The Parchman Hour in The Herald-Sun http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/12183048/article–The-Parchman-Hour

• Radio Interview with Mike Wiley and Freedom Rider Bill Svanoe: http://wunc.org/tsot/archive/The_Parchman_Hour.mp3/view

• Blog Post for Publishing the Long Civil Rights Movement: https://lcrm.lib.unc.edu/blog/index.php/2010/12/15/mike-wileys-parchman-hour "When I left the theater after watching Mike Wiley’s The Parchman Hour, I was ready to fight for something."