The latest installment of the South Talks series, hosted by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture, featured a screening of Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power, a documentary directed by Sam Pollard and Geeta Gandbhir. The event, held Wednesday evening at Meek Auditorium, was followed by a Q&A with Pollard himself.
Our little town of Oxford, Mississippi, is deeply connected to the Civil Rights Movement through figures like James Meredith, but this event encouraged attendees to shift their focus to another small southern town with an equally significant history. Lowndes County, Alabama, played an important role in grassroots movements for Black voting rights and political empowerment, despite its violent past.
Pollard’s film gives us a deep dive into Lowndes County’s role in the Civil Rights movement. Located smack dab between Selma and Montgomery, the county was a hotbed of racial violence and resistance. Nicknamed “Bloody Lowndes,” the county witnessed some of the most brutal lynchings in American history. Despite this, Black residents organized and fought for their rights, which played a pivotal role in the movement for Black political power.
“I think [my biggest takeaway] is the importance of organizing,” said Story Lee, a film student here at Ole Miss. “You can be on the ground and have protests and everything, but if you don’t have organization behind that, you’re not gonna get anything done. You’re just gonna make a big loud noise.”
But what inspired the close-up of the little-known county? Pollard says the idea came from Vann R. Newkirk II, who serves as senior editor of The Atlantic, and had written a piece about it.
“He came up with the idea and had been writing about it, writing articles about it,” said Pollard. “Then he approached Geeta [Gandbhir] and the company about doing a film.”
Ironically enough, Pollard had not initially wanted to participate in the project, saying he was “sort of tired of doing civil rights films.” Not only that, like many of us in the audience, he had never even heard of the county before or knew just how important it was. But when he started doing research about the county, he realized that this was a story that needed to be shared with the world.
Tucker Reeves, a physics and math student at Ole Miss, says that in high school, the Black Panther Party was depicted as the more violent and bad organization. “Seeing [the party] as they really are, not brushing over the police violence that’s done in a lot of high school classes, is a really nice perspective.”
Pollard, known as a director, producer, and filmmaker for many projects, including some of Spike Lee’s works, uses a unique filmmaking style that blends archival footage with contemporary interviews. This method, which Spike Lee is also known for, immerses the audience in history, therefore making it impossible to look away from the uncomfortable realities of America’s past and present. His approach is similar to Lee, with his use of raw and unfiltered storytelling to provoke discussion rather than provide escapism.
The atmosphere at Meek Auditorium was lively, with a diverse audience of students, faculty, and members of the community. While the venue was not at full capacity, the engagement in the room was undeniable. Those in attendance chatted before the screening, showing eager interest in the film’s subject matter.
As the documentary unfolded, it quickly became clear that Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power was not a passive viewing experience. The film’s direct approach left an impact and forced viewers to engage with the uncomfortable realities of the American south’s racial history. Moments of humor here and there balanced out the heavier themes, a dynamic that highlighted the spirit of Lowndes County residents fighting for justice. Laughter even broke out from time to time, which showed that the lighter moments helped keep the audience engaged with the movie.
During the Q&A portion, Pollard addressed the challenges of getting interviewees to speak openly about painful subjects. He emphasized the importance of trust, explaining that time was spent with participants before filming to ensure they felt safe and understood.
“The important part about when you’re interviewing people is you want to make them feel comfortable,” said Pollard. “You want to try to be conversational. It’s not like you want to sit there with your questions [in front of you.] I try not to have my questions right in front of me.”
[Possible paragraph here from the organizer of the event, talking about the process of getting Pollard to come do this, and why he was a good fit for the theme of the South Talks events.]
The documentary presents a powerful juxtaposition between past and present activism. Through a combination of historical footage and modern-day commentary and interviews, it shows how the Civil Rights Movement in Lowndes County was not just about peaceful protest. It was about power.
A particularly distinctive theme is the shift from nonviolent resistance to more direct action. The film uses war analogies to underline this point by portraying Black activists as fighters on the front lines of democracy. The Black Panther symbol, which originated from the Lowndes County Freedom Organization, is contrasted with the white rooster, the mascot of Alabama’s segregationist party.
One of the film’s most powerful moments features a call-and-response chant:
“You got the power! What do you want? Black power! When do we want it? NOW!”
This scene definitely brought goosebumps to members of the audience, myself included, and helped bring home the main message: now is the time to fight. Now is the time to get your hands dirty to get the rights you deserve.
The film’s storytelling technique is enhanced by its cinematography and soundtrack. Intentional music choices help drive the narrative, while different camera angles and transitions keep the documentary visually engaging. Rather than a traditional, static historical documentary, this film delivers a whole different type of experience.
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power is more than just a history lesson. It’s a call to action. The documentary forces audiences to confront America’s past while recognizing its lingering effects on the present. It is not meant to induce guilt, but instead it’s meant to help people understand.
June Alves Rogers, a film student here at the university, noted that without awareness, history will continue to repeat itself. “I think [the event] ends on the perfect note,” she said. “I think it’s the project that never ends.”
By bringing awareness to a lesser-known but extremely crucial chapter of the Civil Rights movement, this film challenges viewers to think critically about the ongoing fight for racial equality and the role that everyday people-especially those in small southern towns-play in shaping history. The screening was a powerful reminder that change is not a passive process, but one that requires active engagement, education, and, above all, perseverance.
If you missed out on the event and you would like to watch the film, it is available for streaming on Peacock.
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