Michael Ealy is set to star as civil rights activist Dr. Gilbert Mason in biopic A Civil Right.
According to Deadline, the film tells the story of the Biloxi, Mississippi physician who was the leader of nonviolent “wade-ins” against segregation. The protests resulted in the first successful anti-discrimination suit against the state of Mississippi.
Mason’s activism landed him on the FBI’s most-watched civil rights agitators list. He went on to effectively fight for school desegregation in the state and help from the Council of Federated Organizations. He then held the position as President of the Mississippi NAACP for three decades before he died in 2006.
Salvatore Stabile will direct the film that will be the first feature from Michael Benaroya and Darryl Taja’s New Revolution Media.