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I say Ok, if that's the way you want it. But denying me access to a Mardi Gras ball if my husband is white and I am black is another issue. If I have chosen to embrace his culture and he mine why deny me this part of him if he wishes to share it with me. If I were Asian, Jewish, or Latino perhaps I would be granted entrance? A long negative history prohibits older mobilians who have taught their children and younger cohorts the same to overlook this time of celebration to integrate.Besides,as stated, many would not want to, but a few would. It is the right or liberty to do so that is important. But to simply say," you can't,we don't do that here." In this respect, I disagree with the liberty to segregate Mardi Gras balls. celebrations.

Bah. Who cares. The rest of the country segregates itself from the whole of Mobile...

Many people for Mobile have defended their right to segregate a carnival and I respect that. But it is fair to point out that a Goldfish enjoys living in a goldfish bowl because he does not remember or know anything better.

Race is no more or less than a hair colour or height, it is predetermined by genetics and to use this as a tool to segregate and classify is primitive and out dated.

Racism is so deeply rooted in American Society that the prejudice and ridiculous
principals that it is founded on are invisable to the perpetrators.

I can understand that each group are proud of their traditions and past but isn't time to look to the future and start to think about the brilliant opportunity of inviting people - not colours-into their organisations.

I am a native Mobilian and these are private organizations, they can choose the membership requirements. There is no law against segregation within a private org.

I just saw this film on TV. I thought it was fair to both whites and African Americans. There's nothing wrong here - both organizations, both races, have their own long held and cherished traditions. Forcing a desegregation would not only cause hard feelings, it would dilute the customs and traditions of both groups, and become something neither group could truly relate to. The fact that the Kings and Queens of both Mardi Gras now make an appearance at the others coronation is a tremendous show of respect on both sides, a nod to the equality of both celebrations, simply held in different cultural ways. To the poster who equated slavery to these celebration as a tradition -- you're just being ridiculous, and you're talking just to have something to say, If you paid attention to the film, you would have realized that the African Americans are happy with things just the way they are. Everybody else should feel the same way. Whites have wronged them enough over the centuries without us having to shove our boring, white-bread parties down their throats.

Slavery was once considerd tradition as well.
Its 2009 its time to reform these segregated traditions! The excuse to keep such traditions as reminders of oppression is just not acceptable!

mardi gras isn't about your organization, who's in it, black parades white parades. whatever, its OUR tradition that we parctice and no one else does. black and white parades ride on the same day. black and white people stand beside each other on the same street and catch the same throws and enjoy carvale season and a nighttime parade for 2 weeks leading up to mardi gras day, together. but we don't wish to change it, it's mutual. at the screening for the documentary in mobile, more black people were defending the tradition, probably because if white people had we would have looked racist. but the bottom line the girl who wrote the movie is an ivy league graduate that adn't been home since she left highschool and movied north and probably hates the stereotypes placed on her for being from alabama. its an unrealistic look at our southern "culture"

Mobile Mardi Gras is NOT Apartied!
Let me list the ways it is not:
1) Mardi Gras is a 5 day event
2) Mardi Gras does not keep anyone from pursuing employement, college education, or the like.
3) No one is jailed for participation in Mardi Gras
4) Mardi Gras is fun!
5) Neither blacks nor whites have ever brought up the subject of integration.
6) There has never been unrest in Mobile over race. We know how to treat each other.

I'm all for free speech but WNYC's user comments are deteriorating to what you find on USA Today and ESPN: knee-jerk, jerk comments.

Dear Margaret,
It doesn't really matter if the film is good or not, judging from comments by Joseph, it sounds like you sensationalized a back story, in lieu of content. Did you not think your film was strong enough? You could hear the disappointment in your subjects' voices. Way to whore out your community. Hope this gets you ahead, cause you only get to sell out once...

terrific film, saw it at the first screening. Very thought provoking yet fair to it's subjects; one of those movies you carry around with you for a long time in a positive way.

when i was a kid my family belonged to an old fashioned gentlemen's club (kids allowed to use athletic facilities, dining facilities - with separate ladies entrance)which was forced to desegregate - someone complained and it was discovered taht the club was older than liquor licenses and so they were told that if they wanted a liquor license they had to integrate or no liquor. I think private clubs are subject to law!

what about multi-racial/mixed marriage couples? How do they fit in?

It's tradition, kind of like apartheid was tradition!