Mississippi: A Self Portrait (1966)

Mississippi: A Self Portrait (1966)

Mississippi: A Self-Portrait is a landmark 1966 NBC News television documentary directed by Frank De Felitta that explored race relations, segregation, and daily life in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era.

Key Subject: Booker Wright

The documentary is best remembered for featuring Booker Wright, an African American waiter at Lusco’s (a whites-only restaurant in Greenwood, Mississippi) who also owned his own café serving Black patrons.

• The Monologue: On camera, Wright delivered a courageous, unfiltered speech exposing the emotional toll of his service work. He described how he had to smile and endure racial slurs or demeaning names (“Booker,” “John,” “Jim,” or racial slurs) from white patrons while “grinding on the inside” and crying behind a forced smile just to make a living for his three children.

• The Backlash: After the program aired on NBC in May 1966, Wright faced severe local retaliation. He lost his job at Lusco’s, was beaten by police, and faced constant harassment against his own business.

• Tragic End: In 1973, Wright was shot and killed at his café.

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