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Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis star in "The Help." Fact and Fiction in "The Help" "The Help" is playing on screens nationwide, based on Kathryn Stockett's bestselling novel by the same name. It tells the story of black domestic workers in Mississippi in the early 1960s at the height of Civil Rights turmoil, told from both perspectives - from the point of view of "the help" and the white families who employed them. Both the book and the movie have received rave reviews. But amid praise, there has also been outspoken criticism that they gloss over the fierce racism of the time and the portrayals of these women are exaggerated stereotypes that are not historically accurate. So we'll look back at that time period and separate fact from fiction in "The Help." We'll also find out how these types of portrayals in pop culture inform our concept of that time period. Guests Fannie Flono - Associate editor and columnist for The Charlotte Observer. Author of Thriving in the Shadows: The Black Experience in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County Dr. Debra Smith - Associate Professor of Africana Studies at UNC Charlotte. She specializes in African-Americans in Communication and Popular Culture. Event | "The Help: The Book, The Movie, The Reality" on Tuesday, August 30th at Levine Museum of the New South. Fannie Flono and others will discuss the stories and realities. Details. Add and read comments