I didn't have any expectations, so the switch about a third of the way in was a stun and it got better- way better than M. Night's story (his all have disappointing endings), which had similarities but wasn't the same. External Reviews I fully sympathize with the struggle depicted in this movie. "They didn't feed us. [15] Historian Antoinette Harrell said that in some districts, "the sheriff, the constable, all of them work together. [15] The Wall family was forced to do fieldwork and housework for several white families attending the same church on the Louisiana-Mississippi border: the Gordon family, the McDaniel family, and the Wall family (no relation). This Country was built by Black people and we made a lot of money for the white people. Yeah, sure. I truly enjoyed this movie. Mae calls Kentwood, LA, home. One of the 20th-century slaves was Mae Louise Walls Miller and she didn't get her freedom until 1963. However, I also believe there are still African families who are tied to Southern farms in the most antebellum sense of speaking. Whatever it was, that's what you did for no money at all." User Ratings This is the shocking true story its inspired by. Written down alongside other personal belongings that included spoons, forks, hogs, cows, and a sofa were my great great grandparents, Thomas and Carrie Richardson. The family didnt have TV, so Mae just assumed everyone lived the same way her brothers and sisters did. ABCNEWS' John Donvan contributed to this report. This has to be true. It was terribly painful, but I needed to know more. They trade you off, they come back and get you, from one day to the next. If this "hi-concept" Hollywood lark were any more woke, the DVD would come with a free rooster. In the process of interviewing Ms. Miller about her life as a 20th century slave in America, the Smiths learned from her that slavery was still being practiced in Mississippi and Louisiana today. Slavery might have ended on paper after the Civil War, but many white landowners did Read More >> Plantation Records. We had to go drink water out of the creek. A Vice article and corresponding documentary tell the tale of the family and many others who have lived a horror such as this. We had to go drink water out of the creek. Her father, Cain, couldnt take the suffering anymore and tried to flee the property by himself in the middle of the night. When Louise Mae Miller was born on 7 April 1923, in Allen, Ohio, United States, her father, Marion Henry Miller, was 30 and her mother, Mary Edith Hess, was 28. There was no fake racial reconciliation story of different cultures finally uniting and the white racists changing their ways. The film uncovers modern-day slavery in the Mississippi Delta in 2009. "One of the things I think we know is that these letters [archived early in the 20th century by the NAACP] tell us that in a lot of these places, that they were kept in bondage or semi-bondage conditions in the 20th century [in] out-of-the way places, certainly where the law authorities didn't pay much attention to what was going on.". There's no excuse for it and I can't believe it was possible, well, I can believe, but you know What I truly can't believe are all the comments by people here claiming its all a bunch of "woke bs". People in denial I guess. There were also Polish, Hungarian, and Italian immigrants, as well other nationalities, who got caught up in these situations in the American South. The 57-year-old Louisiana native has dedicated more than 20 years to peonage research. Strong people. From there, Harrell tracked down freedman contracts on her fathers side of the family that verified they were sharecroppers, and word spread around New Orleans leading to a number of speaking engagements. "[3] Mae recounted harvesting cotton, corn, peas, butter beans, string beans, potatoes. You are still on the plantation.. It also set forth the direction of my life. Opening the suppressed memories upset him so much he ended up in the hospital. There is nothing that can be done to me that hasnt already been done.. The most prominent example of this, on which the movie is based, is the life of Mae Louise Walls Miller. The National Guard was deployed in Atlanta, what does this mean as shootings, violence plague other American cities? His plan was to register for the army and get stationed far away. Contact & Personal Details. One day a woman familiar with my work approached me and said, Antoinette, I know a group of people who didnt receive their freedom until the 1950s. She had me over to her house where I met about 20 people, all who had worked on the Waterford Plantation in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana. 2022 is already shaping up to be the year of impeccable film and, off the back of its success at this years Sundance Film Festival, Alice has just released a new trailer and its safe to say its firmly grabbed our attention. Now she not only believes the story, she has become something of a guardian angel in Mae Miller's life. As I would realize, people are afraid to share their stories, because in the South so many of the same white families who owned these plantations are still running local government and big businesses. The acting and cinematography was top notch, the dialogue was simplistic but the story was was entertaining and meaningful. To anyone that thinks this is an "alternate reality" piece though, this kind of thing happened. Wow! Yes, slavery still exists in 2010 in Mississippi and Louisiana, says Timothy Arden Smith, who captured the story in a soon to be released documentary called The Cotton Pickin' Truth Still on the Plantation, which will premiere Sept. 23 at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History in Detroit. "[7][22], When contacted in 2007, a Gordon family member denied Miller's claims. In 1994, I started to look into historical records and public records. They had become debtors to the plantation owner and as a result, could not leave the property. The 57-year-old Louisiana native has dedicated more than 20 years to peonage research. Even if you could run, where would you go? ", "They beat us," Mae Miller said. "They didn't feed us. It was at one of these engagements that Harrell would be set off on the path which lead her to discoveries of hidden slavery into the 1960s. She had grown up not wearing shoes and said sometimes her feet felt uncomfortable when she wore them. We thought this was just for the black folks. -- minus three stars. He was 107 years old, but his mind was still incredibly sharp. A modern invention we werent quite ready to see but an instant snap back to reality, if ever there was one. "We thought everybody was in the same predicament," Mae Miller said. Still, I'm surprised by the low score on this movie. We didnt eat like dogs because they do bring a dog to a certain place to feed dogs. It was clear they had never shared their individual stories with one another. Glad I didn't let negative reviews deter me from watching this movie; the director did a good job telling this story with the camera, the movie never drag or became boring. They were not permitted to leave the land and were subject to regular beatings from the land owners. Court Records. [16], Like most peons, the Wall family was not permitted to leave the land, was illiterate, and were under the impression that "all black people were being treated like that". Copyright, 2019 The Final Call, FCN Publishing, Activists charge environmental poisoning and silent homicide in San Francisco, President spews more incendiary rhetoric as election draws closer, Covid-19 and the divine chastisement of Florida. . Or more than likely I just wasn't taught the truth on this, like with so many other aspects of American History! The way the movie ended seemed like Alice was playing the lady from the movie "Coffy" they went and seen lol. But we also see her explore her Black identity through the art, music and styles that political activist Frank (Common) introduces her to. But the people told my brothers, they go, 'You better go get her.' According to the Smiths, there are many who know that slavery didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation nearly 150 years ago. Mae's father, Cain Wall, lost his land by signing a contract he couldnt read that had sealed his entire familys fate. Alice will be available to watch in UK cinemas nationwide on 18 March. "I remember thinking they're just going to have to kill me today, because I'm not doing this anymore. The elder Smith said talking about the documentary and pre-showings of the film revealed that a significant number of people know firsthand, based on having family members still on the plantations, or themselves growing up in slavery but choose to remain silent. I can't believe that I had no idea that this crap went on until the 1960's! "[12] The Wall family obtained their freedom in 1961, which is sometimes inaccurately given as 1962 or 1963. We couldnt have that.. [2]Mae Louise Miller (born Mae Louise Wall; August 24, 1943 2014) was an American woman who was kept in modern-day slavery, known as peonage, near Gillsburg, Mississippi and Kentwood, Louisiana until her family achieved freedom in early 1961. Copyright, 2019 The Final Call, FCN Publishing, Activists charge environmental poisoning and silent homicide in San Francisco, President spews more incendiary rhetoric as election draws closer, Covid-19 and the divine chastisement of Florida. Slavery will continue to redefine itself for African Americans for years to come. Mae walked in after the lecture was over, demanding to speak with me. (1 viewing, 6/14/2022). . Whatever it was, that's what you did for no money at all.". This was a chance to learn a history we were never taught in school. "[4], Mae said she didn't run for a long time because, "What could you run to? Which makes no sense. That evening still covered in blood, Mae ran away through the woods. Its a story of discovery, pride and consciousness as much as it is a thriller about enslavement, race and oppression. The sisters say that's how it happened them. Mae's father Cain Wall lost his land by signing a contract he couldn't read that had sealed his entire family's fate. Nearly five years after the Waterford meeting, however, Mae Louise Walls Miller of Mississippi told Harrell that she didn't get her freedom until 1963. He's still living. Every passing year, the workers fell deeper and deeper in debt. Elements of the film's background are loosely based on the narrative of Mae Louise Walls Miller, who escaped from slavery in 1963. This movie got me fired up in the best way. Other names that Mae uses includes Mae Louise Miller, Mae Louise Walls Miller, Mae Louise Walls Miller, Maelouise Walls Miller and Mae L Miller. Only mistake these folks made was putting a black face on the cover and-- 'boom!' As a result of the film's exposure to many dedicated Mississippians, the state of Mississippi ratified the 13th . The way he looked must have reminded Cain of someone from the farm. Timothy Smith pointed out that the film gives meaning to the human experience and how most people are yet enslaved on one level or another. You know juneteenth but what about plantations that continued way into the 70s! Several months later, Harrell would meet a woman named Mae Louise Walls Miller who didn't receive her freedom until 1963. They told me they had worked the fields for most of their lives. "I feel like my whole life has been taken," she said. One day I walked with Mae deep into the woods to see the old green creek she always spoke about. She walked up, looked me in the eye, and stated, I didnt get my freedom until 1963.. According to a series of interviews published by Vice, historian and genealogist Antionette Harrell has uncovered long-hidden cases of Black people who were still living as slaves a century past the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. To understand this movie, you need to understand this FACT so that you won't mistake this for science fiction or some sort of 2022 Blaxploitation film. All Rights Reserved. Sometimes, when we would be at an event where there was free food, she couldnt stop eating. Antoinette Harrell uncovered the story of Miller, By entering my email I agree to Stylists. After an altercation with the master, she manages to run away and suddenly we discover the film is a rip off of "The Village" who had "Alice" as its main character too. "It was so bad, I ran away" at age 9, Annie Miller told ABCNEWS' Nightline. "Why would you want to tell anybody that you was raped over and all that kind of mess? How wonderful it would be to tell all of the people that belittled you and told you that you were nothing.if you could show them what you can do!!! But even that turned out to be less than true. The trailer opens up with a wide-angle view of a colonial-looking house, eerie undertones reminiscent of Get Out and Jonny Lee Miller referring to the Black people sitting patiently as domestic livestock. Harrells groundbreaking work has exposed cases in her home state of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Florida. The Cotton Pickin' Truth. As well as Millers story, Harrell has unearthed multiple other shocking stories of enslaved people in Americas southern states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and Florida. "[4] Harrell noted that "people are afraid to share their stories" because "many of the same white families who owned these plantations are still running local government and big businesses". Awards ), the trick to appreciating this one is to skip the first 30 mins (trust me!) People often ask, "Why bring race into it?" We want to make people aware about what's going on so we can stop what's going on, Tobias Smith said. Still takes nothing from the film and is well worth the watch. "They treated the dogs a whole lot better than they treated us. She married Clyde F Montgomery on 26 September 1945, in United States. "We didn't know everybody wasn't living the same life that we were living. The 57-year-old Louisiana native has dedicated more than 20 years to peonage research. . They feel this is not going on we have a Black president.' Ill never forget the look in their eyes when one would speak about a horror they endured. In the process of interviewing Ms. Miller about her life as a 20th century slave in America, the Smiths learned from her that slavery was still being practiced in Mississippi and Louisiana today. She and her family were unaware that things had changed, as they had no TV or other access to the outside world; they just assumed their situation was like that for all black people. Alice (Keke Palmer)is a slave on a plantation in Georgia. So the poor and disenfranchised really dont have anywhere to share these injustices without fearing major repercussions. Mae died in 2014. She was held as a slave in Gillsburg, Miss., and escaped to Kentwood, La. Their story, which ABCNEWS has not confirmed independently, is not unheard of. We had to go drink water out of the creek. "[3] In 2004, a judge dropped the lawsuit. This Louisiana funeral home is rediscovering it", "The Cotton Pickin TruthStill on the Plantation trailer", "The Hard Truth - Black history: Stolen stories", "Is the Movie 'Alice' Based on a True Story? First off, I genuinely love Keke Palmer, Johnny Lee Miller and Common. [8][14], Historian Antoinette Harrell believes that Miller's father Cain Wall lost his own farmland after he signed a contract that he could not read which indebted him to a local plantation owner.