Miss Virginia

Streaming: Netflix (With Subscription)
Warnings:
Violence
Rating: TV-MA

            Miss Virginia is an American drama film directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna. Written by Erin O’Connor with cinematography executed by Nancy Schreiber, this film recreates a true story about how activist Virginia Walden became inspired to fight for better education for the children of the District of Columbia. Starring Uzo Aduba as Virginia Walden, Niles Fitch as James Walden and Matthew Modine as Congressman Cliff Williams, the genuine acting in this film takes the audience by surprise. Miss Virginia examines the District of Columbia’s educational system from all perspectives. Specifically, how underfunded education affects communities of color generationally and how educational policies are not always in poor children’s favor. This film is important because it highlights the discrepancies of the educational system even in our nation’s Capital. Miss Virginia not only exposes this problem in the District of Columbia, but it also indicates that this issue is a problem throughout the United States.

            Virginia Walden is a struggling mother in the District of Columbia who sacrifices everything to give her son a good education and to keep him off the streets. After Virginia’s son starts to fall in with the wrong crowd, she becomes unwilling to accept this dangerous school as her son’s only option. This inspires a movement that could save his future and thousands of other students in the same predicament as him. Miss Virginia does a wonderful job looking at the issues within the educational system at every angle, from the politicians, the burned-out educators, and even sometimes the absent parents. It uncovered how the education system is broken and how the lack of education can significantly affect generations of poor people. The beginning of this film starts out as a typical “single mother struggle” trope but becomes more than that once Virginia is inspired to take action. This heartfelt story is shocking, thought provoking and overall inspiring.

            Even though Virginia was inspired to become an activist later in life, this is not the first time she was faced with a difficult decision about education. Virginia grew up in the deep South and enrolled at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1966. Virginia and her twin sister joined one hundred other Black teens at Little Rock Central. Upon her attendance, she and others were abused every day, and not only by the students but by the teachers as well. Virginia wanted to return to her previous all-black school, but her father insisted that she needed to stay. Even though she was abused and had to face racism on the daily, Little Rock Central offered a better education, so Virginia stayed and continued to pave the way for other students of color. This is a significant part of Virginia’s life that the film doesn’t focus on. This is the first moment when Virginia understood the importance of education. It is unfortunate that this backstory is not included in the film because it would have shed light on the relationship Virginia has with the educational system. However, without this aspect of her life included, the story is still incredibly interesting and informative.

            Along with the intriguing story, the acting of Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black) takes the film to a different level. She shows genuine emotion when discussing the issues with education and captures the struggle of Virginia fighting for her son. Aduba forces the audience to feel her pain while she faces challenges trying to get legislation passed in favor of the children. Niles Fitch (When They See Us) also does a wonderful job portraying the daily struggle of poor students who just want an education. He creates the understanding of the adversities that some students face when attending schools that don’t support them. This acting team portrayed the story in a way that wouldn’t have been accomplished with anyone else.

Ultimately this film is enlightening while revealing the issues that inner cities face when it comes to the educational system for the poor in the United States. Miss Virginia inspires the audience to take action and create change in their own communities. Not only does this film show how change can be made, but it also shows how getting involved in the legislative process can affect many people’s lives in a positive way. This is a wonderful film for anyone who cares about children’s education, supporting poor communities, and making positive change in the United States.