When I Rise (2010)

When I Rise: Directed by Mat Hames. With Harry Belafonte, Barbara Smith Conrad, Icy Simpson. A gifted black music student at the University of Texas is thrust into a civil rights storm that changes her life forever. Barbara Smith Conrad is cast in an opera opposite a white male classmate fueling a racist backlash from members of the Texas legislature. Barbara’s expulsion from the cast escalates the incident to national news, prompting unexpected support from a pop superstar. This small-town girl, whose voice and spirit stem from her roots in East Texas, emerges as an internationally celebrated mezzo-soprano and headlines on stages worldwide.

“When I Rise was beautiful and insightful. It made me think about what it means to be an artist and a policy maker. I cried about four times. Sometimes I was crying for Ms. Conrad, other times I was crying for the mistakes of our culture, sometimes I was crying because weu0026#39;ve come so far, and other times I was crying because we have so far to go (see Tarleton State University cancels gay Jesus play, March 2010). When I Rise was beautifully filmed and directed. It provides exactly what a documentary is supposed to it. It lets the story tell itself, it touches your heart, and it calls you to action. I hope it gets a wide distribution, and soon!”