King is based upon a true story of something that happened in the Southern Illinois farm house where Elaine lives. In the 1920’s, the newly married white couple took in a black baby for the winter, saving his life, but creating a huge flap in rural Union County. Set against the backdrop of the northern migration of blacks, King explores the racial tensions that exist to this day. During Prohibition, The Levee in Chicago had the greatest concentration of black wealth in America. There was race mixing, “black and tan” clubs and a jumping music scene, and the City of New Orleans train brought it all right through the downstate area.
This is the setting of the story, but it’s not the story. This is a woman’s story - how two women, one white, one black, lock arms to do the right thing. This is a love story, but not the typical love story. It’s about how the love of a child has the power to change people and to move society forward.
This is the setting of the story, but it’s not the story. This is a woman’s story - how two women, one white, one black, lock arms to do the right thing. This is a love story, but not the typical love story. It’s about how the love of a child has the power to change people and to move society forward.