African-American Man Entering Movie House Through "Colored" Entrance, October 1939

    African-American Man Entering Movie House Through "Colored" Entrance, October 1939
    Courtesy of Library of Congress, Wolcott, Marion P., "Negro going in colored entrance of movie house on Saturday afternoon, Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi," ca. October 1939

    Description

    This photograph shows an African-American man entering a movie theatre to the small balcony section in Belzoni, Mississippi. This photo was taken when Jim Crow laws were enforced in the South.

    Source-Dependent Questions

    • Jim Crow laws were passed in the South and established different rules for African Americans and whites. Why would African Americans have to sit in the balcony at a movie house?
    • What kind of oppression is being enforced in this photograph?
    • Compare this photo to the segregated bus station and the segregated cafe. What is similar between the photos? What is different?

    Citation Information 

    Wolcott, Marion P., "Negro going in colored entrance of movie house on Saturday afternoon, Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi," ca. October 1939. Courtesy of Library of Congress

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