Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle Film Screenings at HCC

To complement their “Changing America” exhibit, which examines the two great people’s movements leading to the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the 1963 March on Washington, the Hays-Heighe House at Harford Community College will offer a series of documentary film screenings with corresponding discussions. These films include riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America.

Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities 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 Hays-Heighe House is one of 473 institutions across the country awarded a set of films chronicling the history of the civil rights movement. The powerful documentaries, Slavery by Another Name, Freedom Riders, and The Loving Story, include dramatic scenes of incidents in the 150-year effort to achieve equal rights for all.

Freedom Riders, which received an Emmy in 2012, will be shown on Monday, February 22 at 12 noon at Harford Community College, Student Center, Room 243. A film discussion will be led by HCC Associate Professor Wayne Hepler. No admission fee, but seating is limited and reservations are recommended. haysheighe@harford.edu or 443-412-2539

The Loving Story: Love in a Time of Jim Crowe will be shown on Monday, March 7 at 12 noon at Harford Community College, Student Center, Room 243. A film discussion will be led by Chris Kaltenbach. No admission fee, but seating is limited and reservations are recommended. haysheighe@harford.edu or 443-412-2539

Slavery by Another Name will be shown on Tuesday, March 15 at 11 AM at Harford Community College, Student Center, Room 243. A film discussion will be led by Iris Barnes. No admission fee, but seating is limited and reservations are recommended. haysheighe@harford.edu or 443-412-2539.

“These films chronicle the long and sometimes violent effort to achieve equality and justice for all Americans,” said Julie Mancine, coordinator of the Hays-Heighe House and College Archivist. “Their content is especially timely and important for us in the greater Baltimore area. We are pleased to receive a grant from NEH to host discussions around these films.”

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.neh.gov/created-equal for more information.

The Created Equal film set is made possible through 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.