Join us for a screening of Freedom Riders as a part of the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF)’s Created Equal Series. The film is not rated and runs 117 minutes.
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle
Film Screenings sponsored by the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum
In its continuing observance of the Sesquicentennials of the Emancipation Proclamation, the end of the Civil War, and the Thirteenth Amendment, the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) is proud to be a sponsor of the film and discussion series Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle which relates directly to NAHOF’s Second Abolition mission.
The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum will show a series of documentaries accompanied by community discussions in Cazenovia, Hamilton, Morrisville, and Oneida on the evenings of October 1, 8, and 15 at 6:30 p.m. The series concludes with films and discussions of The Abolitionists in Peterboro on October 25 at 11:30 a.m. following the October 23-24 NAHOF event Abraham Lincoln: The Great Emancipator.
Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) that uses the power of documentary films to encourage community discussion of America’s civil rights history. NEH has partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to develop programmatic and support materials for the sites.
The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum is one of 473 institutions across the country awarded a set of four films chronicling the history of the Civil Rights Movement. The powerful documentaries, The Abolitionists, Freedom Riders, The Loving Story, and Slavery by Another Name include dramatic scenes of incidents in the 150-year effort to achieve equal rights for all. The Abolitionists was nominated for an Emmy in 2013. Freedom Riders received an Emmy in 2012, The Loving Story received Emmy and Peabody Awards in 2013 and Slavery by Another Name received nominations for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012 and the Black Reel Awards in 2013.
The program conducted by the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum will feature discussions of the documentaries led by local historians and educators. “These films chronicle the long and sometimes violent effort to achieve the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence—life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness—for all Americans,” said National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum President Dorothy Willsey. “We are pleased to receive a grant from NEH to provide programming around these films. In the 1840s Madison County NY was called “The Banner County” because of its antislavery voting and its abolitionist activities which centered on Gerrit Smith in Peterboro NY. In his North Star Country Milton C. Sernett describes Peterboro as a place where blacks and whites worked together to bring about the end of slavery. This series integrates these vital regional efforts with the national effort to expand the meanings of freedom and equality in American society as a whole.”
Each of the films was produced with NEH support, and each tells remarkable stories of individuals who challenged the social and legal status quo of deeply rooted institutions, from slavery to segregation. Created Equal programs bring communities together to revisit our shared history and help bridge deep racial and cultural divides in American civic life. Visit www.createdequal.neh.gov for more information. The Created Equal film set and public programs have been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.
About The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum
Founded in 2005, The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOFM) honors antislavery abolitionists, their work to end slavery, and the legacy of that struggle, and strives to complete the second and ongoing abolition – the moral conviction to end racism. NAHOFM seeks to increase public awareness of the heritage foundations of equal rights and continue that struggle to complete the goals of the abolition movement in contemporary America.
http://www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in the teaching and learning of American history. Programs include publications, teacher seminars, a national Affiliate School Program, traveling exhibitions, and online materials for teachers, students, and the general public. www.gilderlehrman.org
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, museum exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places. www.neh.gov