In the Heat of the Night

 In the Heat of the Night is a 1967 film that stars Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger. This film focuses on the investigation of a murder while also examining the stereotypes and biases prevalent in the south during the separate but equal era. 

This film highlights the harsh discrimination and difficulties that emancipated slaves faced while attempting to bult lives for themselves. The main plat revolves around Virgil Tibbs, a Philadelphia based investigator. Officer Gillespie arrests him because he suspects he committed a murders: but after he is proven innocent, he works with the other cops to identify the genuine murderer

In the background of this major plot are the lives of women who are also fighting to create a living for themselves. During this period, the fight for equal rights among races was gaining traction, but the fight for equal rights between men and women had only recently begun. 

Women in the Jim Crow South had little rights and were frequently looked down upon by their male counterparts. This extended not only to African American and poor women, but also to affluent women. They were all considered inferior and had to struggle for recognition. 

Mrs. Colbert exemplifies this fight for respect, as she fights for a competent investigation into her husband death. Because she is a woman, her opinion is pushed to the side, and she is expected to simply accept what the police believe. However, she recognizes that they are missing something and encourages them to keep exploring for more answers finally, she must threaten the town's jobs in order for them to listen to her. Mrs. Colbert had to fight for respect and she was well-off, making it even worse for girls like Delores Purdy. Girls like Delores are viewed as little more then objects. She was pushed around by all the males in her life, including her brother and the man who impregnated her. Her perspective of her own life was irrelevant. Nobody listened to her until she spoke exactly what they wanted to hear.

This film sheds light not only on the treatment of freed slaves in the Jim Crow South but also on how women were silenced and had to continually battle for the life they wanted to live.