Nicholas G. Sims and Amari Bacchus are set to lead the cast of Blood on the Books, a forthcoming limited series that revisits the tragic 1970 Jackson State College shootings—a pivotal yet often overlooked moment in civil rights history. Sims will portray Phillip Lafayette Gibbs, a 21-year-old pre-law student, husband, and father who was fatally shot by Mississippi police during a peaceful campus protest. Bacchus will play James Earl Green, a 17-year-old high school senior and track star who also lost his life in the incident.
Blood on the Books aims to shed light on the events of May 15, 1970, when Mississippi law enforcement opened fire outside Jackson State College dormitories amid a peaceful student protest against racial injustice. Twelve were injured, and two unarmed Black students—Gibbs and Green—lost their lives. Police at the time claimed they were under threat from a sniper, but no evidence ever supported that narrative. No officers were held accountable.
While the tragedy unfolded just 10 days after the infamous Kent State shootings, where four white students were killed by National Guardsmen, the Jackson State incident was met with silence from much of the national press and public. It has remained one of the most glaringly overlooked events of the civil rights era.
In 2021, over 50 years later, the city of Jackson’s mayor and a Mississippi state senator publicly apologized to the families of the victims, acknowledging the grave injustice.
Blood on the Books is being developed by Sims and Desmond Jackson of BVC Films, who have secured the life rights from the Gibbs family. The six-part limited series is penned by Percival Bernard and produced under the Pyramidal Entity banner, with additional production by Jackson and Philip Lawton-Flores. The creative team emphasizes that the series seeks to “reclaim” the legacy of those affected and bring attention to a moment in history that was “buried—not because it wasn’t important, but because it was inconvenient.”
Blood on the Books is a poignant exploration of a critical yet neglected chapter in America’s civil rights narrative, aiming to honor the memories of Gibbs and Green and to spark reflection on the enduring impact of systemic injustice.