The Vernon Johns Story

This biopic follows the life of Vernon Johns (James Earl Jones) -- now known as the father of the civil rights movement -- during the years he preceded Martin Luther King Jr. as minister of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Johns champions the cause of desegregation, clashing with local white authorities; the more cautious members of his own church; his wife (Mary Alice), who fears he'll lose his pulpit; and his children, who fear he will lose his life.