Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle Film Screenings and Discussions at Washington Twp. Public Library

To introduce three documentaries with riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America , the Washington Twp. Public Library will offer a series of screenings and discussion forums  centered around these documentaries in February and March 2014.

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 Washington Twp. Public Library 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, 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 received an Emmy in 2012, and The Loving Story and The Abolitionists have been nominated for Emmys in 2013. 

 “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 Jane Gold, Senior Librarian.  “We are pleased to receive a grant from NEH to provide programming around these films. Historically based programs are popular with our community and the local school district has approached our library to support the Civil Rights high school curriculum.

The Loving Story was shown on September 21, 2013 as part of the New Jersey’s Council for the Humanities Face to Face “Created Equal: New Jersey” initiative. Dr. Mark Krasovic, Associate Director of the Institute on Ethnicity, Culture, and he Modern Experience at Rutgers-Newark introduced the event and facilitated a post-film discussion. Dr. Krasovic will return on Saturday, February 8, 2014 at 1 p.m. to to show and discuss the film Slavery by Another Name. Dr. Christopher Fisher, Associate Professor of History at the College of New Jersey, will show excerpts and lead discussions on The Abolitionists and Freedom Riders on Saturday, March 15th and Saturday, March 29th respectively.

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.

About the Washington Township Public Library, Long Valley, NJ

The Washington Township Public Library's mission is to meet the cultural, educational, recreational and informational needs, in all its many formats, of the residents of Washington Township.  One of the service priorities in our current Strategic Plan is to “establish the library as the center of cultural life in Washington Township by presenting library programs that appeal to a variety of different interests and backgrounds.”  www.wtpl.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.