By Kahari S. Nash “The BooRay! King” & CEO KSN Gaming
When Tyler Yarbrough pinned an open letter to Warner Bros. Discovery and the team behind Sinners, it wasn’t just a hopeful shot in the dark — it was a call from the heart of the Delta. Capital B News gave that call a microphone, and Aallyah Wright’s pen made sure the story hit the right nerves. And guess what?
The Cooglers pulled up.
Ryan and Zinzi Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, and the Proximity Media fam showed up and showed out at the Clarksdale Civic Auditorium for not one, not two, but three packed-out nights. The Mississippi Delta didn’t just host them — it embraced them. From the soul of the sound to the spirit in the seats, the screenings were more than a cinematic moment. They were a cultural communion.
🎶 The Score Was The Blues. Literally.
Let’s be clear: Sinners might’ve been the film, but the Mississippi Delta Blues was the headliner. This wasn’t background music — it was front and center, spiritual, ancestral, alive. Every note told a story Clarksdale already knew. And it wasn’t lost on Ludwig Göransson, who gave flowers in real time to the Mississippi Delta’s sonic soul.
🤴🏾 The BooRay! King Bridged Generations
Legend recognizes legend. The BooRay! King, whose roots run deep from The Harlem Inn — “The Showplace of the South” — to the Hollywood hills, played host in true Delta royalty fashion. He introduced The Cooglers to BooRay!, gifted them 1000s, 100s, and a custom deck of trademarked BooRay! playing cards.
And if that wasn’t enough, he brought with him history in the flesh: Bobby Rush — the living bluesman with stories for days and a generational bond with the BooRay! lineage that’s as authentic as the Mississippi Delta dirt.
💬 David Banner Brought the Message Home
Then Mississippi’s own, David Banner, stepped up. Not as a rapper. Not as a celebrity. But as a truth-teller. He charged the next generation to own their stories — to not wait for Hollywood to come knocking, but to build the house right here, in the Mississippi Delta Mud, with Mississippi muscle.
🏛 Mound Bayou Stood Tall
The screenings weren’t just about Clarksdale. Mound Bayou came through heavy. The Mound Bayou Museum of African American History & Culture made it known: we’re not just watching history — we are history. And this was their moment too.
In fact, word is Episode 1 of “Mound Bayou: The Most Remarkable Town in the South” is kicking off a museum tour across Civil Rights landmarks and music museums. If you don’t know Mound Bayou’s story yet, buckle up. The world’s about to.
🎬 Mississippi Film Office Has Next
Nina Parikh, Director of the Mississippi Film Office, wasn’t just in the building — she was already thinking 10 steps ahead. She talked incentives, infrastructure, and the need to invest in homegrown creators, talent, and crew. Because it’s one thing to host a screening — it’s another to build an industry that stays.
🌍 From the Delta to the Big Screen… and Back Again
What happened in Clarksdale wasn’t just a screening. It was a seismic moment. The Crossroads ain’t just a myth — it’s real. It’s cultural. And it lives not only in Mississippi but in every frame that hits a big screen or streaming service around the world.
Tyler Yarbrough wrote a letter, but the Mississippi Delta wrote a legacy.
—Kahari S. Nash “The BooRay! King”
Mound Bayou Native Son – Mound Bayou Hall of Fame – BenVision Honoree – Tennessee Living Legend
