HBCU Storytellers created this four-part docuseries...free-ish, explores the 400-year commemoration of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia in late August 1619. The films capture this epic milestone through the journey of fifteen HBCU students as they explore past and present race relations in the birthplace of American slavery. The documentaries follow the students in their efforts to promote racial healing and reconciliation as they grapple with Virginia’s contentious history and the racial issues these monuments present.
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HBCU Storytellers created this four-part docuseries...
About HBCU Storytellers
The HBCU Storytellers program gives Black college students the unique opportunity to learn the art of filmmaking within a culturally-responsive educational environment. In this intensive collaboration with HBCUs, we encourage students to explore, research and respond to critical community issues and cultural debates. We provide students with the hands-on training, technical skills, and mentorship they need to create films about these topics. Ultimately, we empower our storytellers to leverage their films to effectively engage community stakeholders and advance social justice. Our inaugural class of HBCU Storytellers included student filmmakers from Hampton University, Norfolk St. University, Virginia Union University, Virginia State University and Wiley College. The Filmmaking Journey
The Storytellers travelled to historic sites throughout Virginia to meet with students, scholars, archeologists, and community stakeholders alike to examine two controversial monuments: the planned Emancipation Proclamation Freedom Monument on Brown’s Island which recognizes ten African American freedom fighters and the Robert E. Lee statue in Charlottesville. Both monuments are topics of controversy throughout the country and highlight the continued racial divide in America. Educating Through Films
Together with our students, we are screening the 400 Years Later docuseries at local and national levels, to facilitate meaningful dialogue around the current racial climate and to highlight the organizations and individuals engaged in the ongoing work of truth-telling and social justice. We’ve developed a supporting discussion guide and curriculum for each film, which can be used by educators, parents, and others to provide viewers with a greater understanding of the Black experience in America and the race issues that still persist today. Learn more about NPF workshops. Host a Workshop + Screening
Join our Storytellers and partner with NPF staff and local stakeholders to host a workshop and screening. Our film workshops can help you engage leadership at your local high schools, colleges, film festivals, churches, and other community forums, by sparking meaningful conversation and driving participants to take action in the name of social change. Learn more about our workshops here |
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PART I. THE SANKOFA JOURNEY
Viewers are introduced to the students as they travel to Montgomery, Alabama for a tour of the Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice, The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration, and The Rosa Parks Museum. Viewers will explore these powerful memorials and museums through the eyes of the students as they learn from educators and local community leaders about the importance of confronting our country’s history of racial terror through truth-telling. Students interview Equal Justice Initiative founder, attorney/activist Bryan Stevenson, Esq. who provides them with valuable knowledge and insight about the transformative power of memorials as tools for racial healing in preparation for their film projects in Virginia.
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PART II. THE ARRIVAL
The Storytellers follow organizations and individuals involved in the 400 Year Commemoration of the first Africans to arrive in Point Comfort, VA and Jamestown, the birthplace of American slavery. The Storytellers interview Virginians of all ranks and backgrounds about race relations in our country, 400 years later.
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PART III. CONFEDERATE MONUMENTS: HERITAGE OR HATRED?This episode highlights the controversies surrounding the removal of the Robert E. Lee statue, which gained national attention in 2017 after the Unite the Right Rally. Storytellers follow stakeholders involved in this debate and explore the issues surrounding the question of heritage or hatred.
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PART IV. MONUMENTS THAT HEAL
The final episode captures issues surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation Freedom Monument and highlights four fearless leaders from the MLK Commission that spearheaded this historic project. The film also explores the monument’s most controversial figure, Nat Turner, as community stakeholders provide insight into Turner’s legacy.
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