MURDER IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA
Marco McMillian was a strong contender in the upcoming Clarksdale mayoral race.
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Polk created the groundbreaking television series Noah’s Arc for MTV/LOGO—the nation’s first Black gay television series—and its successful big-screen spin-off. Polk returned to Mississippi to shoot his next project, an adaptation of the novel Blackbird. “It’s not like being gay in a big city like New York or Los Angeles. It’s still a ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ vibe—it’s not often discussed.”
“When you visit home, you won’t bring or discuss your partner,” said the director. “I have a good friend from high school [who] has had a partner for almost twenty years. I don’t believe his partner has ever been to his family’s home.”
But the community welcomed McMillian—because of his success and commitment to Clarksdale, said Perry. “He was trying to do what Cory Booker did in Newark—where you are from a community, you leave, establish yourself elsewhere and return home to run for office,” said Perry. “Every indication is that he could have placed within the top two in the May primary election.”