Lawyer treats N.S. students to 'Mockingbird' screening

Last Updated: Thursday, October 13, 2005 | 8:58 AM ET

CBC Arts

High school students have been invited to a free screening of the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird in Windsor, N.S., Wednesday evening, amid a kerfuffle about the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel's suitability for the province's classrooms.

More than 100 Grade 11 students at Avon View High School were planning to see Neptune Theatre's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee's classic 1960 novel about racial injustice.

However, the trip was cancelled because the book did not pass the provincial Department of Education's bias evaluation, a survey educators use to review learning resources. As such, it's no longer read in Nova Scotia schools.

Actor Gregory Peck as attorney Atticus Finch in a scene from the film based on Harper Lee's classic, 'To Kill a Mockingbird. (AP Photo)

Upset that the students would not be able see the play, lawyer Jim White organized Wednesday's free showing of the film version at Windsor's Imperial Theatre. He has also invited members of the Annapolis Valley regional school board to the screening.

"I think it's important for their educational experience that [students] have an opportunity to see all sorts of plays. This one, with its challenging theme, I think was particularly important," he told CBC News.

White, who is hoping the screening will get people talking about race and discrimination, has also invited award-winning local filmmaker Sylvia Hamilton to show her documentary about racism in Nova Scotia schools.

"I think what we'll discover is that while Atticus Finch was fighting racism in the southern United States, Nova Scotians today are still struggling with the same issues. I think it'll be an educational experience for everyone who comes," he said.

Board chair urges students to see movie but stands by decision

School board chair Terrie Spinney said he has no problem with the high school students seeing the film and encourages both the students and their parents to attend. However he emphasized that To Kill a Mockingbird is still not certified by the Department of Education.

"We are governed by the Department of Education. They tell us what materials we can or can't use. If it's not on the list we are not supposed to be using it," Spinney said.

Kaye Johnson, the school board's race relations coordinator, said the novel doesn't keep with the department's own racial equity policy, nor does it meet the board's race relations policy.

Johnson's view is that contemporary books may serve as better discussion points about racism than a novel written 40 years ago.