Freedom Song is a 2000 biographical made-for-television drama film based on true stories of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi in the 1960s. It tells the story of the struggle of African Americans to register to vote in the fictional town of Quinlan. In the midst of the Freedom Summer, a group of high school students in the small town are eager to make grassroots changes in their own community. The young activists meet resistance not only from white southerners, but from their parents, who have experienced firsthand the violence that can result from speaking out. As high school students band together with the support of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, they make strides in registering African American voters and gaining awareness for their cause. The film was made for television and released on February 27, 2000, on the TNT TV channel in the United States. It was written and directed by Phil Alden Robinson and co-written by Stanley Weiser. Winner of the Image Award, Writers Guild of America award, and Golden Gate Award, it stars Danny Glover, Vicellous Reon Shannon, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. Storyline: A tale about a young man's struggle for equality and justice and basic American rights in 1960s Mississippi and the harrowing ordeals people wanting the same opportunities endured, before Blacks were allowed to vote, and when they did sit-ins at White establishments. The young man, Owen (Vicellous Reon Shannon), is at odds with his father Will (Danny Glover) who is afraid his son's anti-segregation activities will jeopardize the family's livelihood and safety. Review: "Freedom Song" is a surprising, powerful, emotional, sometimes funny, always honest look at the civil rights movement. This is a wonderfully told story. It focuses mostly on teenagers, and it's fascinating. This film is an impressive re-telling of how the non-violent emphasis within that movement led to its eventual success. Carole King's "Song of Freedom" is a great anthem for the film. America is a deeply racist nation, so unsurprisingly there is a lot of bigotry in this movie. Everyone should have a right to vote. No matter what race or ethnic group. America was based on freedom and liberty at its founding, but white Americans didn't extend that same freedom and liberty to the hundreds of thousands of black people they held in slavery. I live in Alabama and right now in May 2026 white people are doing their very best to diminish the power of the black vote and deny African Americans political representation in Alabama and across the South. In May 1963, Birmingham, Alabama became infamous for its use of fire hoses and police dogs on marching African American students during the civil rights protests against segregation. Black people were beaten bloody in Selma, Alabama in 1965 simply for marching for the right to vote. The Supreme Court has dismantled the ensuing Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 2026 in Montgomery, Alabama, the site of the 1955-56 Bus Boycott, 70 years later, amid protests, flooding and evacuations, the Alabama Legislature passed special election bills that produce a racial gerrymander. The struggle continues... We do not own the rights to any of this film. This film is being used for historical and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Black Excellence:
Starring Danny Glover, Vicellous Shannon, Vondie Curtis-Hall
