Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle Film Screenings at University of Idaho

 

The University of Idaho Library will offer a series of screenings and discussion forums centered around three new documentary films that include riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America. "Freedom Riders," "The Loving Story" and "The Abolitionists" will show at 7 p.m. on Jan. 28, Feb. 13, and Feb. 18, respectively, in the Borah Theater in the Pitman Center on the UI campus in Moscow.

"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 UI Library is one of 473 institutions across the country awarded a set of powerful documentary films chronicling the history of the Civil Rights Movement. "The Abolitionists," "The Loving Story" and "Freedom Riders" 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" were 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 Sarah VanGundy, a UI librarian. "We are pleased to receive a grant from NEH to provide programming around these films. It is an excellent time to be having these discussions in our community."

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.

*Image provided by the Library of Congress.