SCENE 63
At the rally of Black and White at the cemetery, a mid shot shows both Black and White people. This lets the audience know that Blacks and Whites are beginning to accept each other and interact in the community in a way far better than before. This is shown by cuts between the Black and White children, with the music uniting them. The fact that there are white children at the rally suggests that the concept of ingrained racism is beginning to disappear as parents are willing to bring the children to the rally which includes Black people, and that a new generation with no segregation between Coloured and White is starting to develop.
At the rally, a Black lady sings. Her lyrics are incredibly relevant to Mississippi and epitomise the struggles that the Black Community has had to endure. "We cannot see every pitfall, but we must walk on by faith each day." The song also discusses faith - "Let Jesus be your guide, he's able to carry your load and could see way down the road." |
For many Black people, their religion is highly important to them. Throughout "Mississippi Burning" the Black people have kept their dignity by still sticking with their religion and other routines and rituals, which is what this song is telling them to do. This has helped them through the hard times they have faced.
A close up shot before Ward and Anderson leave the rally shows Ward saying to Anderson, "You wanna drive, Rupert". This is a significant change from the controlling, formal Ward, we saw previously, to a more friendly, accepting character as they are now on first name terms and finally on the same page in the way that they feel about the investigation. Aaron Williams, the young boy seen standing up to Ward in a previous scene is a recurring motif of hope who appears numerous times during the film. In this scene, he stands amongst members from both the White and Black community. This shows that there is hope for Mississippi in the future, as reflected in the lyrics of the song. |