Hollywood vs. Ku Klux Klan
Peace River Productions will talk about racial segregation, the antics of the Ku Klux Klan, the lawlessness of the FBI and the beginning of the Cuban missile crisis. Barry Pepper's company (Saving Private Ryan, The Kennedy Clan) is preparing a film about American civil rights activist Robert F. Williams.The biographical drama will be named after Robert's autobiography, Negroes with Guns. Williams was born in Monroe, North Carolina. In 1944 he was drafted into the army. Robert served a year in the Marine Corps and returned home. He was saddened to discover that many of the city's residents belonged to a branch of the Ku Klux Klan. Robert began to actively fight for the rights of black people. Thanks to his efforts, segregated areas in libraries and swimming pools disappeared in Monroe by the mid-50s. In 1958, Robert gained national notoriety for defending two young African Americans who were imprisoned after one of them was kissed on the cheek by a white girl. The Monroe police beat the boys and charged them with rape. The work of Williams and other human rights activists saved the children from a long sentence.  Robert's social work did not like the leaders of the Ku Klux Klan. Williams' supporters had to organize an arms club and keep pistols on hand to defend themselves against racist attacks. In 1961, Robert's family sheltered a white couple who traveled around America in support of civil liberties overnight. The Kukleklan members of the Monroe police teamed up with the FBI and made the case appear as if Williams was illegally keeping activists in his home. Robert was in prison for kidnapping, so he went to Cuba and created his own radio show about civil liberties. Jason Cabell (The Cocaine Baron) will direct the film. As for Pepper, he will act as a producer and play one of the supporting roles. Source: Deadline The Topic of Article: Hollywood vs. Ku Klux Klan. |
