In 1948, Johns served as the outspoken spiritual leader of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Incensed at the racial injustice that pervaded the South, he was determined to fight for equality for all African Americans.
Acting
James Earl Jones delivers sermons that'll raise your blood pressure.
Writing
Sharp dialogue that weaponizes biblical verse against complacency.
Director
Kenneth Fink
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Vernon Johns was Martin Luther King Jr.'s actual predecessor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, and his confrontational style directly shaped what King later softened into mass-movement rhetoric.
This TV movie aired on Disney-owned ABC during the 1994 culture wars, making its unflinching portrayal of Black church politics and white supremacy quietly subversive for network television.
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