My Past is My Own
Encyclopedia
My Past Is My Own is a made-for-television movie which aired as a CBS Schoolbreak Special
on January 24, 1989
. The film is centered around a sit-in
in the early 1960s at a racially segregated
lunch counter
in the Southern United States
. Whoopi Goldberg
, Phill Lewis
and Allison Dean portray the lead characters.
Writer/producer Alan Gansberg was awarded the 1989 Humanitas Prize
in the Children's Live-Action Category for his work on My Past Is My Own.
Editor Jayme Wing was nominated for an Emmy for best achievement in film editing for his work on "My Past Is My Own".
) and his sister Kerry (Allison Dean) are two African American
teenagers living in a middle-class New Jersey
household in the late 1980s. The Cook family is visited by their distant cousin, psychologist Mariah Johnston (Whoopi Goldberg
). A contemporary of Justin and Kerry's parents, Mariah is about to receive an award for her years of community work, particularly in the area of civil rights. Having been born after the Civil Rights Movement, Justin and Kerry never experienced Jim Crow
segregation
, and the two fail to appreciate the stories about the era that Mariah and their parents recount at dinner.
While Justin and Kerry sleep that night, they are mysteriously transported to a small town in Georgia
in the early 1960s. While there, the siblings participate in a sit-in
at a segregated lunch counter
. The protest is staged by a group of local teenagers and young adults -- including their cousin Mariah. The siblings are horrified by the hostility and racism of local White
residents, and inspired by the strength displayed by Mariah and the others as the group is harassed during the sit-in.
When they awaken the following morning, the siblings find themselves back in the 1980s. No one is aware of their journey to the past except Justin and Kerry themselves (and possibly Mariah). As the Cook family watches Mariah accept her award later that day, Justin and Kerry do so with a greater appreciation for Mariah, the Civil Rights Movement, and the history of African Americans in general.
CBS Schoolbreak Special
CBS Schoolbreak Special is an American anthology series for teenagers that aired on CBS from April 1980 to January 1996. The series originally premiered under the title CBS Afternoon Playhouse, and was later changed during the 1984 - 85 season...
on January 24, 1989
1989 in television
For the American TV schedule, see: 1989–90 United States network television schedule.The year 1989 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1989.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
. The film is centered around a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
in the early 1960s at a racially segregated
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
lunch counter
Lunch counter
A lunch counter is a small restaurant, much like a diner, where the patron sits on a stool on one side of the counter and the server or person preparing the food serves from the other side of the counter, where the kitchen or limited food preparation area is. As the name suggests, they were most...
in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
. Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
, Phill Lewis
Phill Lewis
Phill Lewis is an American film and television actor,director and comedian, often seen in comedic roles. He is best known for his role as Mr. Moseby on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck. He also played T.C...
and Allison Dean portray the lead characters.
Writer/producer Alan Gansberg was awarded the 1989 Humanitas Prize
Humanitas Prize
The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing intended to promote human dignity, meaning, and freedom. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser — also the founder of Paulist Productions — but is generally not seen as specifically directed toward religious...
in the Children's Live-Action Category for his work on My Past Is My Own.
Editor Jayme Wing was nominated for an Emmy for best achievement in film editing for his work on "My Past Is My Own".
Cast
- Whoopi GoldbergWhoopi GoldbergWhoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
- Mariah Johnston - Phill LewisPhill LewisPhill Lewis is an American film and television actor,director and comedian, often seen in comedic roles. He is best known for his role as Mr. Moseby on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck. He also played T.C...
- Justin Cook - Allison Dean - Kerry Cook
- CCH PounderCCH PounderCarol Christine Hilaria Pounder , known professionally as C. C. H. Pounder , is a Guyanese-American film and television actress...
- Renee Cook - Thalmus RasulalaThalmus RasulalaThalmus Rasulala was an African American actor who was an original cast member of ABC's soap opera One Life to Live from its inception in 1968 until he left the show in 1970....
- Marshall Cook - William Allen YoungWilliam Allen YoungWilliam Allen Young is an American actor best known for playing a role of Frank Mitchell on UPN's Moesha in 1996 and directing a few episodes of the show, and made a guest appearance on UPN's The Parkers as Frank Mitchell...
- Rev. James Jordan - Geoffrey BlakeGeoffrey Blake (actor)Geoffrey Lewis Blake is an American film and television actor.Blake was born in Baltimore, Maryland, the son of Marjorie Myers and Avery Felton Blake. Blake's film credits include Contact, Young Guns, Forrest Gump, and Cast Away...
- Dexter Lee Smith - Guy BoydGuy Boyd (actor)Guy Boyd is an American character actor. He has starred in over fifty films from the late 1970s to the present. He is probably best known for his role as Detective Jim McLean in Brian De Palma's thriller Body Double...
- Russell Crew - Gloria Carlin - Frances Taylor
- Kenneth Edwards - Clyde Waller
- Dominic Hoffman - Donny Hall
- Charles Stransky - Alfred Wainwright
- Anthony Grumbach - White Boy
- Laurnea Wilkerson - Brianne Solomons
- Dorothy Sinclair - White Woman
- James MarshallJames Marshall (actor)James Marshall is an American actor, best known for playing the character James Hurley in the cult television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and for his role as PFC Louden Downey in A Few Good Men.Marshall was born James David Greenblatt on January 2,...
- Willie Willens
Plot
Justin Cook (Phill LewisPhill Lewis
Phill Lewis is an American film and television actor,director and comedian, often seen in comedic roles. He is best known for his role as Mr. Moseby on Disney Channel's The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and its spin-off, The Suite Life on Deck. He also played T.C...
) and his sister Kerry (Allison Dean) are two African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
teenagers living in a middle-class New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
household in the late 1980s. The Cook family is visited by their distant cousin, psychologist Mariah Johnston (Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is an American comedian, actress, singer-songwriter, political activist, author and talk show host.Goldberg made her film debut in The Color Purple playing Celie, a mistreated black woman in the Deep South. She received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and won...
). A contemporary of Justin and Kerry's parents, Mariah is about to receive an award for her years of community work, particularly in the area of civil rights. Having been born after the Civil Rights Movement, Justin and Kerry never experienced Jim Crow
Jim Crow laws
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure racial segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans...
segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
, and the two fail to appreciate the stories about the era that Mariah and their parents recount at dinner.
While Justin and Kerry sleep that night, they are mysteriously transported to a small town in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
in the early 1960s. While there, the siblings participate in a sit-in
Sit-in
A sit-in or sit-down is a form of protest that involves occupying seats or sitting down on the floor of an establishment.-Process:In a sit-in, protesters remain until they are evicted, usually by force, or arrested, or until their requests have been met...
at a segregated lunch counter
Lunch counter
A lunch counter is a small restaurant, much like a diner, where the patron sits on a stool on one side of the counter and the server or person preparing the food serves from the other side of the counter, where the kitchen or limited food preparation area is. As the name suggests, they were most...
. The protest is staged by a group of local teenagers and young adults -- including their cousin Mariah. The siblings are horrified by the hostility and racism of local White
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
residents, and inspired by the strength displayed by Mariah and the others as the group is harassed during the sit-in.
When they awaken the following morning, the siblings find themselves back in the 1980s. No one is aware of their journey to the past except Justin and Kerry themselves (and possibly Mariah). As the Cook family watches Mariah accept her award later that day, Justin and Kerry do so with a greater appreciation for Mariah, the Civil Rights Movement, and the history of African Americans in general.
External links
- My Past Is My Own (1989) at The Internet Movie Database