'When Southbury Said No to the Nazis' Airs Friday Night on CPTV

Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) is pleased to announce that it will air the documentary Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis, which tells the little-known but important story of events that took place in Southbury, Conn., in the pre-World War II era. The film will premiere on CPTV on Friday, November 21 at 8:30 p.m., with an encore broadcast airing on Sunday, November 23 at 3 p.m.

During the 1930s, the German American Bund established Nazi training camps in communities across the United States. In 1937, the Bund purchased a large a tract of land in the small town of Southbury in order to build what it hoped would be the largest such camp. The citizens of Southbury — with the help of their clergy and town officials — organized a response that kept the Nazis out, and Southbury became the only town in the U.S. that said no to the Nazi-aligned group.

In the summer of 2012, a committee of religious and civic leaders began to formulate plans to celebrate the 75th anniversary of those events – events that, though historically significant, were little-remembered even within the town of Southbury itself. Filmmaker Scott Sniffen of Sniffen Pictures in Southbury was brought on board to share the story of that dramatic time through a new documentary – the documentary that would become Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis.

Sniffen worked with the Southbury Historical Society, The Republican American newspaper in Waterbury and local citizens to create the film, which includes interviews with many people close to the story, including eyewitnesses who were, of course, very young at the time of the events.

Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis Airs on CPTV

One such interviewee is 99-year-old Lillian Hicock Wentworth, a former Southbury resident who wrote her Master’s theses on the Bund, and who offers compelling insights into the situation.

Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis not only tells an important story about a community working together to stand up to a hateful group; it also raises questions about what individuals and communities could do in modern times if faced with a similar situation. Just as the brave citizens of Southbury in 1937 took significant personal risk to take a stand against Nazism, the documentary raises the question: What would your community or organization do today?

Home of the Brave: When Southbury Said No to the Nazis was made possible by the Southbury Historical Society; funding was provided by Ion Bank; the Jewish Federation of Western Connecticut; the Connecticut Community Foundation; Dr. Amy Goldman Fowler; and Mark Greenberg.

About Connecticut Public Television

CPTV is a media service of the Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network (CPBN). It is a locally and nationally recognized producer and presenter of quality public television programming, including original documentaries, public affairs shows, and educational programming. CPTV has built a reputation as a leader in children’s programming, including playing an historic role in bringing Barney & FriendsTM, Bob the BuilderTM, and Thomas & FriendsTM to public television.

The station offers 11.5 hours of positive, nurturing children’s programs each weekday, reaching 450,000 households each week. The Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network also includes WNPR, an affiliate of National Public Radio, Public Radio International and American Public Media. WNPR serves 276,000 listeners weekly in Connecticut, New York, and Rhode Island with news and information. Its award-winning local programming includes The Faith Middleton Show, The Colin McEnroe Show, and Where We Live. CPBN also includes two affiliate channels: CPTV4U, a 24/7 television channel featuring award-winning drama, news and talk programming, concert performances, independent films, nature shows, British comedy and more; and CPTV Sports, Connecticut’s only 24-hour local sports network, covering statewide high school, college, semi-professional, and professional sports. CPBN also houses the Learning Lab, home to the Journalism & Media Academy Magnet School satellite campus and the Veterans Vocational Training Program. For more information, visit cptv.org.