Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Stuggle

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Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle is a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
Visit the NEH Created Equal website.

The Created Equal initiative was developed through a partnership of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. The Gilder Lehrman Institute has an excellent overview of the program and descriptions of the four films. They also provide additional resources related to the four films on this page.

This series of programming is made possible with additional support from the Friends of Library of both the Scotch Plains Public and the Fanwood Memorial Libraries.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the National Endowment for the Humanities has developed a special project as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative: Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle. As part of a shared programming initiative, the libraries of Fanwood and Scotch Plains will join 500 other communities across the nation in receiving a packaged set of NEH-funded films on Civil Rights history.

From January 10 to May 14, 2015, the libraries will offer free screenings of the films with discussions and lectures focused on opening public conversations and dialog about the changing meanings of freedom and equality in U.S. history. In addition, the libraries are proud to present concerts and performances in support of the same goals./b>

For a complete listing of all the screenings and events see the calendar below, or check each library's online events listings, or call for more information. A synopsis of each film is HERE.

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DATE
TIME
PLACE
DESCRIPTION
TYPE
Sat., Jan. 10, 20151:00 pmSPPLThe AbolitionistsFilm Screening
Mon., Jan. 12, 20151:00 pmFMLThe AbolitionistsFilm Screening
Mon., Jan. 12, 20156:00 pmFMLThe AbolitionistsFilm Screening
Wed., Jan. 14, 20157:00 pmFMLMartin Luther King Jr.: A Chautauqua
portrayed by actor/historian Marvin Jefferson
Performance
Thurs., Jan. 15, 20156:00 pmSPPLThe AbolitionistsFilm Screening
Mon., Jan. 19, 20153:00 pmSPPLHow Did We Get To Today?: Awareness, Acknowledgement & Advancement - PART 1 - A Community Conversation led by Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps and Bishop Kelvin Brooks with Dr. Larry Leverett and Social Justice Matters' founders, the Hon. Leland McGee and Rabbi Joel N. Abraham.Community Conversation
Thurs., Jan. 22, 20157:00 pmSPPLLinda Caldwell Epps on New Jersey AbolitionistsDiscussion/Lecture
Sat., Jan. 31, 20151:00 pmSPPLSlavery by Another NameFilm Screening
Mon., Feb. 9, 20151:00 pmFMLSlavery by Another NameFilm Screening
Mon., Feb. 9, 20156:00 pmFMLSlavery by Another NameFilm Screening
Thurs., Feb. 12, 20157:00 pmSPPLSlavery by Another NameFilm Screening
Thurs., Feb. 19, 20157:00 pmSPPLThe Invention of Wings by Sue Monk KiddBook Discussion
Wed., Mar. 4, 20157:00 pmFML"False Freedom: African American Songs of Work, Struggle, and Salvation, from the Civil War to WWII"
Saul Broudy & Al Shorts in Concert
These two amazing folklorists and performers will present a broad palette of music from the time period covered in the film Slavery by Another Name.
Music Performance
Mon., Mar. 9, 20151:00 pmFMLFreedom RidersFilm Screening
Mon., Mar. 9, 20156:00 pmFMLFreedom RidersFilm Screening
Wed., Mar. 11, 20157:00 pmFMLHow Did We Get To Today?: Awareness, Acknowledgement & Advancement - PART 2 - A Community Conversation led by Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps and Bishop Kelvin BrooksCommunity Conversation
Thurs., March 19, 20157:00 pmSPPLFreedom RidersFilm Screening
Wed., Mar 25, 20157:00 pmFMLRabbi Israel Dresner - Freedom Rider and activist will discuss his participation in the Freedom Rides, his direct relationship with Martin Luther King, who he served time in jail with, and his role in the Freedom Riders documentary.Discussion/Lecture
Sat., Mar 28, 20151:00 pmSPPLFreedom RidersFilm Screening
Mon., April 20, 20151:00 pmFMLThe Loving StoryFilm Screening
Mon., April 20, 20156:00 pmFMLThe Loving StoryFilm Screening
Sat., April 25, 20151:00 pmSPPLThe Loving StoryFilm Screening
Mon., April 27, 20157:00 pmSPPLHow Did We Get To Today?: Awareness, Acknowledgement & Advancement - PART 3 - A Community Conversation led by Dr. Linda Caldwell Epps and Bishop Kelvin BrooksCommunity Conversation
Thurs., May 7, 20157:00 pmSPPLBennet Zurofsky & the Solidarity Singers
will lead this community, family-friendly Sing-a-long Concert to help wrap-up the 4 month-long Created Equal programming. Songs of the African American experience, the Civil Rights era and more will reflect the themes of the documentaries and community conversations that made up this series.
Music Performance
Thurs., May 14, 20156:30 pmSPPLThe Loving Story & Erica Chito-ChildsFilm Screening / Discussion


The Abolitionists

A small group of moral reformers in the 1830s launched one of the most ambitious social movements imaginable: the immediate emancipation of millions of African Americans held in bondage, at a time when slavery was one of the most powerful economic and political forces in the United States. Produced and directed by Rob Rapley. Sharon Grimberg, executive producer for American Experience, WGBH.

Slavery by Another Name

Even as slavery ended in the south after the Civil War, new forms of forced labor kept thousands of African Americans in bondage until the onset of World War II. Based on the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same title by Douglas Blackmon. Produced and directed by Sam Pollard. Catherine Allan, executive producer for Twin Cities Public Television. Douglas A. Blackmon, co-executive producer. A production of TPT National Productions, in association with Two Dollars & A Dream, Inc.

Freedom Riders 

The Freedom Rides of 1961 were a pivotal moment in the long Civil Rights struggle that redefined America. Based on Raymond Arsenault's recent book, this documentary film offers an inside look at the brave band of activists who challenged segregation in the Deep South. Produced and directed by Stanley Nelson. Mark Samels, executive producer for American Experience, WGBH.

The Loving Story

The moving account of Richard and Mildred Loving, who were arrested in 1958 for violating Virginia's ban on interracial marriage. Their struggle culminated in a landmark Supreme Court decision, Loving v. Virginia (1967) which overturned anti-miscegenation laws in the United States.  Directed by Nancy Buirski; produced by Nancy Buirski and Elisabeth Haviland James. A co-production of Augusta Films and HBO Films. Distributed by Icarus Films.

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