A new documentary looks back on the college cookout that turned into a defining event for Black students in Atlanta and beyond throughout the 80s and 90s
When Hulu announced plans to release a documentary on Freaknik late last year, the news landed more like a threat. “Freaknik aunties are shook,” read one Revolt TV headline. TMZ reported that an “older generation of ragers” was ”freaking out”. One TikToker who claimed to have attended several of the spring break festivals during its 90s heyday captured the prevailing mood among her peers. “I dunno, y’all,” she sighed, “we might be in trouble.” There was a genuine fear that rewinding the tape from that time could eviscerate the Black bourgeoisie, embarrassing scores of career professionals and public figures if the unearthed footage didn’t outright end their careers. A judge and politician were among five women who sued to stop the documentary from airing.
P Frank Williams, the director on the project, could relate. “Not to say people overreacted,” he says. “But the whole ‘people getting up in arms’ was a little bit funny and a little bit crazy at the same time. Ultimately, in the film, we tried our best to show that it was a fun, partying kind of time, but there were also a lot of cultural things that were going on as well.”
