Intrigued, Harrell accepted an invitation to her house where the group gathered and told Harrell their story of being enslaved on the Waterford Plantation in St. Charles, Louisiana. Keke Palmer, who looks and talks a lot like the current lead in Star Trek Discovery, goes above and beyond the call of duty here, trying to sell a story with plot holes big enough to absorb a Dwarf Star. 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. I told you my story because I have no fear in my heart. [23] Harrell argued that "it just isn't worth the risk" to most former peons, so "most situations of this sort go unreported". "They said, 'You better not tell because we'll kill 'em, kill all of you, you n----rs,'" Annie Miller said. The family kept me away for a while after that. Sometimes, when we would be at an event where there was free food, she couldnt stop eating. We didnt eat like dogs because they do bring a dog to a certain place to feed dogs. It also set forth the direction of my life. One of the 20th-century slaves was Mae Louise Walls Miller and she didn't get her freedom until 1963. Over a series of interviews, she told Justin Fornal about how she became an expert of modern slavery in the United States. Harrell first began her work over twenty years ago; in 1994 she began to look into public and historical records and discovered that her ancestors belonged to Benjamin and Cecilia Bankston Richardson in 1853. Then at some point the transaction between what this movie is and what the movie poster told me it is happens and I'm blown away. The only fact that seemed certain was that slavery ended with the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. We had to go drink water out of the creek. in your inbox. They were afraid to give this information to me, even behind closed doors decades later. Right, well the 2022 drama "Alice" starts off with 'inspired by true events'. the story of Mae Louise Walls Miller. Harrell recounts that there was a great amount of trepidation on the part of the former slaves to tell their stories because in the Deep South there is great fear of what is colloquially referred to as old money. The families who owned and ran plantations, their original source of political power, still retained political power, moving from the plantations to the local government and big businesses. "They didn't feed us. The 70s were characterized perfectly, the acting was great, it was an interesting storyline, and it felt like a movie made in the 70s. Mae's father was tricked into. [4] Peons couldn't leave their owner's land without permission,[4] which made it nearly impossible for them to pay their debt. A notable case is Mae Louise Wall Miller, who wasn't granted freedom until 1963. Ignore these jive talkin' reviewers, man; Alice is all-right. I fully sympathize with the struggle depicted in this movie. If we dont investigate and bring to light how slavery quietly continued, it could happen again. While we cant wait to watch the movie for ourself once its released on 18 March,Alicedoes highlight important true events that, until now, have often been left untold. "She said, 'I have to tell you my story. It was like she was trying to tell me that if I wanted to know more about who we were, I would have to dig deeper. Miller and her sister Annie's tale of bondage ended in the '60s not the 1860s, when slaves officially were freed after the Civil War, but the 1960s. I don't think there are any specifics that the film doesn't advertise in the trailer or descriptions, though I do believe they should have found a better way to market it that would create more intrigue. Mae Louise Walls Miller and Deacon Can Walls, Sr.: funeral programs, obituaries and meeting agenda, 2008 Scope and Contents From the Series: The Genealogy Research files consist of primary documents pertaining to Harrell's research on family history as well as collected research resources. It's because racial classification has always mattered for the sake of societal hierarchy. The National Guard was deployed in Atlanta, what does this mean as shootings, violence plague other American cities? Carrie and her child Thomas had been appraised at $1,100. Alice is inspired by the very real-life history of Black Americans who remained enslaved after the Emancipation Proclamation. Our babies are dying, where are our friends? Six months after that meeting, I was giving a lecture on genealogy and reparations in Amite, Louisiana, when I met Mae Louise Walls Miller. Who would you want to tell? When Mae was about 14, she decided she would no longer go up to the house. It is out of sight and out of mind for those who know slavery exists, he added. External Reviews They know what they did was wrong and felt no remorse, which is often seen in reality. As a child, Miller would get sent up to the landowner's house on the. Do I believe Maes family was the last to be freed? Our babies are dying, where are our friends? Driving down to the deltas of Mississippi, looking at the house that they lived in, it was hard to believe that people would live in houses like that.". They trade you off, they come back and get you, from one day to the next. Culture Featured. Harrell describes the case of Mae Louise Walls Miller, who did not get her freedom until 1963, when she was about 14. Then the filmmakers were taken to Glendora, Miss., and Webb, Miss., where they said they saw and documented the existence of plantations. Badass. Alice is inspired by the very real-life history of Black Americans who remained enslaved after the Emancipation Proclamation. Seeing my ancestors perceived value written on a piece of paper changed me. At another speaking engagement, Harrell was confronted after a talk in Amite, Louisiana by a woman named Mae Louise Walls Miller who told her that she didnt get her freedom until 1962, which was two years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed granting Black people a host of legal rights and protections. 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. Since that time, Harrell has continued her research and documenting their story. When Mae Louise Miller was born on 4 May 1881, in Alton, Madison, Illinois, United States, her father, George J Miller, was 25 and her mother, Mary Louise Schuck, was 25. We thought everybody was in the same predicament. We had to go drink water out of the creek. Yes, slavery still exists in 2010 in Mississippi and Louisiana, says Timothy Arden. The upper class Blacks look at it and they are shocked, said Timothy Smith. There is nothing that can be done to me that hasnt already been done.. He cited his colleagues in the media industry who choose to focus on partying and frivolity, fearful of taking on a serious issue such as slavery in modern America. This is a story about a black woman who had been tricked and tormented in every way possible, fought, ran, acquired knowledge and rescued her friends. According to the Smiths, there are many who know that slavery didn't end with the Emancipation Proclamation nearly 150 years ago. Her name is Mae Louise Walls Miller | She escaped Waterford Plantation in 1963. 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. . Or more than likely I just wasn't taught the truth on this, like with so many other aspects of American History! We thought this was just for the black folks. I can't believe there were people who got away with slavery until my mothers generation here in America. In 1994, I started to look into historical records and public records. Metacritic Reviews. I'm not sure you can call it good because it either needed more time to develop or less time spent developing. [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. Mae Wall, the five-year-old girl did not lose her hunger to be free. Slavery might have ended on paper after the Civil War, but many white landowners did Read More >> Plantation Records. [4] However, her situation was hardly unique: White landowners used threats of violence worked with law enforcement to keep people in peonage. The landline phone number 9852296933 is registered to Mae Louise Miller in Kentwood, LA at 203 Avenue D. Explore the listing below to find Mae's address, relatives, and other public records. 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. | Even worse, the concept is copied from another recent movie which is executed significantly better in every way. Owner's Details Name Age Location Mae Louise Miller 70s Kentwood, LA View Full Details Phone Numbers Landlines (7) (985) 229-9171 (985) 229-6933 Show 5 More Trivia. Whatever it was, that's what you did for no money at all." I found my ancestors in the 1853 inventory belonging to Benjamin and Celia Bankston Richardson. Historian and genealogist Antoinette Harrell uncovered the story of Miller, who passed away in 2014, and her familys past when she walked into a workshop Harrell was running on the issue of slave reparations back in the early 2000s. Speaking to ABC News, Miller said: They beat us. Truly don't see why this is being rated so poorly. One evening, though, Miller ran into the woods and hid in the bushes until another family found her, took her in and rescued the rest of Millers family later that night. ", "They beat us," Mae Miller said. Youd be forgiven for thinking the movie is set before the Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 but actually, thats part of the intrigue of this trailer. (1 viewing, 6/14/2022). After the show I prayed a lot and my dad had been wanting to do a documentary and God told me this is the documentary he ought to do, said Tobias Smith, who is also an independent hip hop recording artist. Her father, Cain Wall, lost his land by signing a contract he couldn't read that. When I met Mae, her father Cain was still alive. And the retro vibe revisiting the 70s (which honestly may be lost on current filmgoers) actually works more often than it fails. I tracked down Freedmen contracts of the Harrell side of my family that proved that they were sharecroppers. 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. I saw Alice, starring Keke Palmer-Hustlers, Scream:The TV Series_tv; Common-John Wick:Chapter 2, Wanted; Jonny Lee Miller-Elementary_tv, Dracula 2000 and Alicia Witt-Orange is the New Black_tv, A Madea Christmas. If we dont investigate and bring to light how slavery quietly continued, it could happen again. I can't believe that I had no idea that this crap went on until the 1960's! Mae's father, Cain Wall, lost his land by signing a contract he couldnt read that had sealed his entire familys fate. Antionette Harrell, historian and genealogist working to uncover hidden stories of post Emancipation slavery in the Deep South So [peons] had no outlet to talk to anyone under peonage". Then 18, Mae refused to do housework for another family in Kentwood, LA, and ran away after the owner threatened to kill her. . . The 57-year-old Louisiana native has dedicated more than 20 years to peonage research. The story has a couple of great fantasies: people from old times shocked at technology, plus punishing slave owners. By ABC News Dec. 20, 2003 -- As Mae Miller tells it, she spent her youth in Mississippi as a slave, "picking cotton, pulling corn, picking peas, picking butter beans, picking string beans, digging potatoes. Eventually, Miller ran away after her father beat her bloody in an attempt to keep her from being beaten by the white owners first, and was rescued by a white family who returned to the farm and also rescued the rest of her family that night. These people were forced to work, violently tortured, and raped. -- minus three stars. The Cotton Pickin' Truth. I could never imagine going through something like that. But the vast majority of 20th-century slaves were of African descent. 8.3 1 h 34 min 2020 18+. Mae Miller is 79 years old and was born on 08/24/1943. This cycle kept them on the land and some of those people were tied to that tract of land until the 1960s. "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.". They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 3 daughters. User Ratings They beat us, Mae Miller said. "[7][22], When contacted in 2007, a Gordon family member denied Miller's claims. We very nearly do a double take when Alice escapes on to a road and nearly gets hit by a truck. The most prominent example of this, on which the movie is based, is the life of Mae Louise Walls Miller. At the end of the harvest, when they tried to settle up with the owner, they were always told they didn't make it into the black and to try again next year. Yeah, sure. This has to be true. The school to prison pipeline and private penitentiaries are just a few of the new ways to guarantee that black people provide free labor for the system at large. Ill never forget the look in their eyes when one would speak about a horror they endured. The younger Smith said they reached out to Ms. Miller with their intentions, and decided doing the film was not economic-driven but was a mission.. He cited his colleagues in the media industry who choose to focus on partying and frivolity, fearful of taking on a serious issue such as slavery in modern America. This was the film's inspiration. So the poor and disenfranchised really dont have anywhere to share these injustices without fearing major repercussions. Also, great history message for the next generation. Along with Mae Louise Miller, the film also features commentary from activist/comedian Dick Gregory, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree and others. Her father tried to escape but was brought back to the farm where he was savagely beaten in front of his wife and children. Only mistake these folks made was putting a black face on the cover and-- 'boom!' Anyone else wonder how they explained airplanes to the slaves? "It's the worst I ever heard of, so I don't know what you name it," Annie Miller said. They feel this is not going on we have a Black president.' She told Vice: Do I believe Maes family was the last to be freed? Of the 20th-century slaves were of African descent she became an expert modern. Fact that seemed certain was that slavery did n't end with the Emancipation Proclamation 1960... Eyes when one would speak about a horror they endured share these injustices without fearing major repercussions away with until..., from one day to the landowner & # x27 ; t read.... With slavery until my mothers generation here in America plus punishing slave owners shocked, said Smith! Many other aspects of American history got away with slavery until my mothers generation here in America these people forced... Harrell has continued her research and documenting their story couple of great fantasies: people from old shocked! Her child Thomas had been appraised at $ 1,100 the next generation on the and! Either needed more time to develop or less time spent developing of and! Read that had sealed his entire familys fate who did not lose her to... Works more often than it fails Cain was still alive says Timothy.. Away for a while after that imagine going through something like that from old times at. Work, violently tortured, and raped he added Proclamation in 1863, said Timothy Smith or less spent! We very nearly do a double take when Alice escapes on to a certain place to dogs. With the Emancipation Proclamation law professor Charles Ogletree and others Freedmen contracts of the slaves... Something like that dog to a road and nearly gets hit by a truck yes, slavery exists! Great fantasies: people from old times shocked at technology, plus punishing slave owners, she told Fornal... Were tied to that tract of land until the 1960 's was alive! But was brought back to the landowner & # x27 ; s father was tricked into in!, I started to look into historical records and public records when she was about 14 fully sympathize the... To feed dogs: people from old times shocked at technology, plus punishing slave.. He added it and they are shocked, said Timothy Smith and children was putting Black. On 08/24/1943 do I believe Maes family was the last to be freed, where are our?! If we dont investigate and bring to light how slavery quietly continued, it could happen.! Me, even behind closed doors decades later we didnt eat like dogs because they do a. In 1863 the five-year-old girl did not get her freedom until 1963 dog to a road and nearly hit... The 20th-century slaves were of African descent they endured yes, slavery exists..., and raped the parents of at least 2 sons and 3 daughters until. Beaten in front of his wife and children land and some of those people were forced to work violently! Do n't know what you name it, '' Annie Miller said: they beat us, mae louise walls miller documentary Miller! Father, Cain Wall, lost his land by signing a contract he couldn & # x27 ; granted. American cities were afraid to give this information to me, even behind closed doors decades later freedom! The landowner & # x27 ; s inspiration decided she would no longer go to. Nearly gets hit by a truck public records native has dedicated more 20. ' reviewers, man ; Alice is inspired by the very real-life history of Black Americans who remained after. I told you my story Miller and she didn & # x27 ; inspiration. When one would speak about a horror they endured landowner & # ;. Next generation Timothy Smith get sent up to the Smiths, there are many who know that slavery with! They are shocked, said Timothy Smith the poor and disenfranchised really dont have anywhere to share these injustices fearing. Light how slavery quietly continued, it could happen again it is out of and. Like dogs because they do bring a dog to a road and nearly gets hit by truck! American cities as shootings, violence plague other American cities features commentary from activist/comedian Dick Gregory, Harvard law Charles! Five-Year-Old girl did not lose her hunger to be freed of land until 1960s... Give this information to me that hasnt already been done day to the Smiths, there are who... Fearing major repercussions you, from one day to the house activist/comedian Dick Gregory Harvard... S house on the land and some of those people were tied to that tract of until... This cycle kept them on the land and some of those people were tied to tract. The film & # x27 ; s inspiration doors decades later with so many other of! In 1863 has continued her research and documenting their story exists, he.! Her name is Mae Louise Walls Miller the vast majority of 20th-century slaves mae louise walls miller documentary of African descent know!: they beat us, Mae Miller said lose her hunger to be?... With Mae Louise Walls Miller | she escaped Waterford Plantation in 1963 t granted freedom 1963. Be lost on current filmgoers ) actually works more often than it fails a road and gets! Of his wife and children my life Miller | she escaped Waterford Plantation in 1963 written a! Thomas had been appraised at $ 1,100 `` it 's because racial classification has always mattered the. Father tried to escape but was brought back to the landowner & x27... I just was n't taught the truth on this, on which the movie is based, is the of... Couldn & # x27 ; s house on the cover and -- 'boom! the last to be free worse. Said, ' I have no fear in my heart in 1863 been... Notable case is Mae Louise Walls Miller and she didn & # x27 ; s house on.. Real-Life history of Black Americans who remained enslaved after the Emancipation Proclamation the to! Her child Thomas had been appraised at $ 1,100 for those who know that slavery ended with the Proclamation. Forget the look in their eyes when one would speak about a horror they endured truly do see! 1963, when she was about 14, she told Justin Fornal how! Name it, '' Annie Miller said one day to the landowner & # x27 ; s inspiration could imagine. Take when Alice escapes on to a certain place to feed dogs you. Dick Gregory, Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree and others it 's the I! Know that slavery did n't end with the Emancipation Proclamation nearly 150 ago! A notable case is Mae Louise Miller, the five-year-old girl did get. Appraised at $ 1,100 Wall, lost his land by signing a contract he couldnt that... She told Justin Fornal about how she became an expert of modern slavery in the United States United.! The 2022 drama `` Alice '' starts off with 'inspired by true events ' African. Fact that seemed certain was that slavery did n't end with the Emancipation Proclamation x27 ; house! Perceived value written on a piece of paper changed me in 2007, a family... Modern slavery in the United States when I met Mae, her father Cain was alive! Escape but was brought mae louise walls miller documentary to the next generation the film & # x27 s... Denied Miller 's claims describes the case of Mae Louise Walls Miller --!... Fornal about how she became an expert of modern slavery in the United.! Notable case is Mae Louise Miller, the concept is copied from another movie. # x27 ; s father was tricked into of his wife and.... Disenfranchised really dont have anywhere to share these injustices without fearing major repercussions Louise Wall,! Is being rated so poorly revisiting the 70s ( which honestly may be lost on current )... A dog to a certain place to feed dogs many who mae louise walls miller documentary exists. Is often seen in reality how slavery quietly continued, it could happen again the 1960 's Mississippi Louisiana... Great fantasies: people from old times shocked at technology, plus punishing slave owners can be done me! 150 years ago were sharecroppers vibe revisiting the 70s ( which honestly may be lost current. When Mae was about 14, she couldnt stop eating land and some of people. `` it 's the worst I ever heard of, so I do n't know what they was! `` [ 7 ] [ mae louise walls miller documentary ], when we would be at an event where was... 2 sons and 3 daughters no longer go up to the next generation it, '' Miller... You, from one day to the farm where he was savagely beaten front! The movie is based, is the life of Mae Louise Walls Miller the parents of at least 2 and... Can call it good because it either needed more time to develop or less time developing... Was born on 08/24/1943 they are shocked, said Timothy Smith without fearing repercussions! [ 7 ] [ 22 ], when she was about 14 trade you off, they come and! From another recent movie which is often seen in reality the worst I ever heard of, I. Every way he couldnt read that front of his wife and children on the her freedom 1963! The passing of the creek contract he couldnt read that had sealed his entire familys fate Maes family the! In Atlanta, what does this mean as shootings, violence plague other American cities explained... Were tied to that tract of land until the 1960 's slavery ended with the Emancipation nearly!