Change Lasts For More than One Night
by Angela Scott

Who knew that in 2002 hidden enclaves within America still fall under Jim Crow laws? Such was the case when high school senior Gerica McCrary challenged her Taylor County High School for the right to have an integrated senior prom. Tucked away between Macon and Columbus, Georgia, lays the sleepy farm town of Butler (about a rock's throw from Atlanta). Here, residents would hold separate black and white private dance parties - functions that were not disputed by the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education mandate due to its non-school sanctioned category.

However, McCrary, tired of the traditional way of doing things, sought to make a change - for the better. Although popular and admired by her black and white peers, McCrary's actions shook up the school, town and nation - uncovering one 21st century city still honoring a 31-year tradition rooted in hate and prejudice. Thanks to the help of a journalist and former Taylor County High School alum, Shandra Hill Smith, McCrary's plight fell under the microscopic eyes of millions. The world watched and waited, while the residents of Butler fought and debated over the fate of its future generations.

Disney Channel's teen idol Raven-Symone (That's So Raven, The Cosby Show, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper) brilliantly explores this incredible tale in the Lifetime Original Drama, For One Night, premiering Monday, Feb. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Set in the town of Mercier, Louisiana, For One Night captures the heroic journey of Brianna McCallister (Raven-Symone), an outspoken teen determined to end the 31-year practices of her high school by creating an integrated senior party. Model and actress Aisha Tyler (Ghost Whisperer, Friends) takes on the role of her advocate, Desiree Howard, a Mercier High School alum who's frustrated with the town's slow progress to end certain segregation practices.
True to her character and the real-life experiences of McCrary, Raven-Symone internalized the fight to end discrimination.

"It's about time for people to take a look at it [segregation] and realize that we do have to change," says Raven-Symone. "I know it's going to take more than a movie, but we have to start somewhere."

Growing up in Atlanta, Raven-Symone knows all about racial prejudice. "Yes, I've experienced it down South. I think every black person does down there, but that doesn't make it right," explains Raven-Symone. "I hope the movie starts up people talking and looking into themselves. Gerica is a normal teen, but she's also so strong and endured a lot because of the change she wanted to see happen. I would have backed out a long time ago because of the things that she went through. It was amazing, but that was her purpose in life. It's like what God says, you only get tasks that you as a person can handle," Raven-Symone says.

McCrary says her fight took willpower, strength and determination.

"When you are standing up for something that you truly believe is right in your heart, you should continue until the fight is over," McCrary says at a Hollywood screening for the film. "And hopefully positive will come out of a negative situation and good things will be done, and it will be spread on to others to make them want to do a positive thing as well in your community."

Trevor Walton, the senior vice president of original movies at Lifetime says For One Night is inspired by a "shocking reality" that takes place.

"This is a story, whether we like it or not, that transcends time because, unfortunately, we all know that racial and ethnic tensions are not entirely a thing of the past," he says during a press tour for the film. "With incredible courage and persistence, one high school senior was able to bring her school, her classmates and town together at least for one night," Walton says.

As the last official film shot on location in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina, Raven-Symone says shooting was somewhat surreal, as Georgia is not the only state where pockets of discrimination still pervade. In lieu of the devastation following Hurricane Katrina, race also became a hot button subject where questions were raised once news clips began showing the victims and areas most badly beaten by the hurricane.
According to Kyle Bowser, the executive producer and creator of For One Night, the Supreme Court's 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling didn't set a specific time frame for states to adhere to integration. He says it wasn't until 1970 that the federal government began to crack down on schools. However, certain schools in favor of segregation sought to continue their practices through extracurricular activities such as private parties. For the real town of Butler, following the 2002 student vote to hold an integrated senior party, Taylor County High School went back to its traditional black and white private parties in 2003. However, 2004 saw the first official integrated prom sanctioned by the school district - a sure-fire sign that McCrary's fight was not in vain.
For One Night is highly recommended for tweens and up. This is a definite conversation starter offering opportunities to reflect on the past in hopes of creating a brighter future.