The life and trials of Barbara Smith Conrad is a story I've never heard about before. In fact I'll go so far as to say that I never heard of her before or listen to her performances.Odd, since I like opera and don't mind listening to it.Barbara Smith Conrad is a African American woman who is/was musically gifted, starts interesting herself for opera and developing her skills as an mezzo-soprano.But the USA at this time, and in her state, Texas is racially segregated. When US supreme court rules that racial segregation is no longer allowed Barbara Smith Conrad gets accepted to Texas university.But when she gets the main part in an opera, playing the love affection opposite a white male lead her problems starts...Barbara Smith Conrads story is a documentary about injustice, racism, hatred, but also courage, integrity, friendship and overcoming adversities.Nowadays USA has a black president but once ethnical minorities of USA couldn't even eat at the same restaurants with white people. America has come a long way, but racism is still a problem not only in the USA but worldwide.Therefore these kind of docs are very important, not only as a historical document but also as an reminder that struggle against hatred, bigotry, continues.

Barbara Smith Conrad came to the attention of the media when she was in college at the University of Texas. She was chosen for the lead in a school opera but HUGE problems came about because she was black and the leading man was white. Nowadays, such a thing is no big deal but in segregated Texas of the late 1950s, it was a HUGE deal--with even national newspapers and the famous singer Harry Belafonte getting into the fray! However, this is only PART of the story. It seems that it was only the beginning for Conrad, as she jumped from this event to New York--and to a serious career in the music industry--becoming a famous opera diva. So, the film is NOT just about racism but about her life following this event. Interesting and well worth seeing.

Saw this movie when it premiered in Austin at South By Southwest. This is a powerful movie that tells the amazing story of Barbara Smith Conrad, the impact of racism on her as a student at the University of Texas and on her career, and how she overcame all of it to become one of the most famous women in opera. The director, Mat Hames, does an amazing job capturing the hurt and the hope and taking the audience along the journey of Mrs. Conrad. The movie is beautifully filmed, using many original photos, newspaper headlines, and news footage and interviews from the day intermingled with current and more recent footage and interviews. 10 stars without reservation!

Like Denzel Washington's feature film The Great Debaters, When I Rise retrieves a long-forgotten piece of Texas's contentious Civil Rights history. Not surprisingly, When I Rise was very well-received in its World Premiere at SXSW. The story of how Barbara Smith Conrad was denied the opportunity to perform in an Opera at the University of Texas-Austin at the dawn of Civil Rights movement provides a very personal window into the racism of that era. The film is beautiful and sensitively made and provides a story of redemption for both Conrad and ultimately the University which supported the project. This film should be widely viewed so that young people today can come to understand that today's more tolerant multicultural society has been achieved only through a long and difficult struggle that should never be forgotten. Conrad provides an excellent role model of grace and perseverance.