[yasr_overall_rating]
Over sixty years ago, a murder rocked Live Oak, Florida and awakened the nation. Today, the ghosts still remain.
Old sins of a small Southern Town are revealed in “You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South.” Live Oak is a small town in northern Florida about halfway between Jacksonville and Tallahassee. This is a well-made documentary about Ruby McCollum, a wealthy African American lady who killed a prominent Caucasian Doctor Adams in the 1950’s.
Certainly there are those who would like those times forgotten. Race relations have changed dramatically for the better since then. Families involved have healed over the generations. Business has been running like usual in this small town. The Suwanee River still winds through the area. Then John Cork comes along and rips the scabs off old wounds with his documentary “You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South.”
Timing of the film is unfortunately perfect. Certainly race relations in America have improved since the 1950s. However, race relations are not perfect and some feel injustices are still happening today. Proof of that is the events that have happened this year in South Carolina, Baltimore and Cleveland. In the 1950’s it wasn’t the black riots that created fear it was the KKK as pointed out in the film.
Some things were expected. An all-white jury finding a black woman guilty of murder in the Deep South. After all, she killed the town Doctor. However, in the court room and in the documentary, more is revealed. Extra marital sex, “paramour rights,” forced sex, and a biracial child certainly adds to the plot.
Like an unending southern dinner, that was just the main course. Gather around the table for a heaping serving of gambling. How do you think Ruby and her husband built a small fortune? The number game Bolita certainly created wealth even though it was illegal. Was Dr. Adams involved? Was a cash transaction the cause of the murder? How about Ruby’s husband Sam’s heart attack?
There is plenty to the story to keep the interest of the audience. One of the film’s strengths is a lot of the story is told by people who were in Live Oak at the time or had a stake in the outcome. A juror, town’s people, and Ruby’s relatives. It adds to the authenticity of the documentary. Not everyone was willing to talk and no one can blame them for not wanting to.
I wouldn’t run to the movie theater to see this film. However, in the hands of educators this film could be very beneficial. At home or in small screenings this film could spark important discussions and could help lead to more healing. Sometimes you have to pull on old scabs and John Cork certainly does so with “You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South.”
Available now on VOD
