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"In White America"
Playbill - 1966
Original article about The Exchange in Rufus King's student Newspaper - 1966
Chatting with
"In White America" writer, Martin Duberman - 2017
A 50-year reunion at Rufus King High School - 2016
Reunion with the new and original casts of "In White America" - 2018
JOANNE WILLIAMS FILMMAKER AND DIRECTOR
This is how it all began…
One Sunday in early 2016 I was sorting through boxes in the garage. I found a box marked "high school stuff."
It held things that only I would consider treasures. It also held a copy of my high school newspaper, The King's Page. It had this headline, "King is host to Kaukauna". It was one of only a couple issues of the The King’s Page that I kept. I worked on The King’s Page for a little while when I was in high school, so I guess I saved it as much for my little story, as the headline story about the exchange. But, I loved learning about history and something told me to save this newspaper. Something told me that this was history… When I looked at the date, I realized this happened 50 years ago!
I’ve been a journalist most of my adult life, so I know a good story when I see one. Black kids living with White kids. White kids living with Black families...In 1966! Big city kids in a small town... small-town White kids in Black neighborhoods… I had many questions.
What was their experience?
Who are they?
Where are they now?
What kind of impact did this exchange have on them?
What do they remember 50 years later?
I saved this copy of my high school newspaper for 50 years … and I said to myself, it’s time to tell the story of this hidden history.
This is a good story… and I’m going to tell it.
FOLLOW US!
Director:
Joanne Williams
Screenwriter:
Joanne Williams
Genre:
Documentary