Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle
Film Screenings and Programs at Philadelphia Cultural Institutions

Philadelphia, PA – To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the 13th Amendment and the abolition of slavery, local cultural institutions will host screenings of clips from Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle.

The African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP), Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP), the National Constitution Center (NCC), and the Philadelphia History Museum (PHM) have also developed programming using these video clips to launch larger explorations of whether or not equality is ensured with the passage of new laws or amendments. These programs, co-sponsored by The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, are free and open to the public.

These four documentaries feature riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America. Each film tells remarkable stories of individuals who challenged the social and legal status quo of deeply rooted institutions, from slavery to segregation. Abolitionists, Slavery by Another Name, The Loving Story, and Freedom Riders include dramatic scenes of incidents in the 150-year effort to achieve equal rights for all. Presentations and discussions featured in the AAMP, HSP, NCC, and PHM programs will focus on the specific themes and subjects of the documentary series.

“We are thankful to the NEH and Gilder Lehrman Institute for the ability to bring these programs to Philadelphia. It is an opportune time to be having these conversations,” said Beth Twiss Houting, HSP’s Senior Director of Programs and Services.

Educators will also be able to receive ACT 48/CEU credits at each Created Equal? event. A teacher workshop on February 28 will also focus on civil rights struggles.

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.

Program Listing:
Each program pairs a screening of documentary clips with public discussion exploring how the films’ issues and topics relate to current events.

Created Equal? Slavery By Another Name: Past and Present Ideas of “Dangerous Blackness”
• Thursday, 2/26/15
• 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• At the African American Museum in Philadelphia
• The African American Museum in Philadelphia invites you to a screening of Slavery By Another Name. Based on the Pulitzer Prize–winning book by Douglas Blackmon, Slavery by Another Name tells the stories of African Americans who, charged with crimes like vagrancy, and often guilty of nothing,  were bought and sold, abused, and subjected to sometimes deadly working conditions as unpaid convict labor after the abolition of slavery.
• Working with Emahunn Campbell, PhD Student in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at University of Massachusetts Amherst, the African American Museum in Philadelphia will explore conceptions of African American criminality in the late 19th Century and the present day, using Slavery By Another Name as a guiding source.
• For more information, please contact Adrienne Whaley at the African American Museum in Philadelphia.

Created Equal? The Loving Story: Who Decides Who Marries Whom
• Thursday, 3/12/15
• 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• At the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
• The Historical Society of Pennsylvania invites you to a screening The Loving Story, which explores the experiences of Mildred and Richard Loving. While they knew it was technically illegal for them to live as a married couple in Virginia - because she was of African American and Native American descent and he was white - they never expected to be woken up in their bedroom and arrested one night in 1958. The documentary brings to life the Lovings’ marriage and the legal battle that followed through little-known filmed interviews and photographs shot for Life magazine.
• Regina Austin, William A. Schnader Professor of Law and Director, Penn Program on Documentaries & the Law, will provide context and discuss the precedent set by this case for the recent state and federal court battles over gay marriage. For more information or to register, please contact Vincent Fraley at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.

Created Equal? Freedom Riders: Roadblocks and Redemption on “Freedom’s Main Line”
• Thursday, 3/26/15
• 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• At the National Constitution Center
• The National Constitution Center invites you to a screening of Freedom Riders, exploring the terrifying, moving, and suspenseful story of thee volunteers as they risked being jailed, beaten, or killed, as white local and state authorities ignored or encouraged violent attacks. The film includes previously unseen amateur 8mm footage of the burning bus on which some Freedom Riders were temporarily trapped, taken by a local twelve-year-old and held as evidence since 1961 by the FBI.
• Jeffrey Rosen, NCC’s President & CEO and a constitutional law scholar, will discuss the heroic acts of the Freedom Riders and the conflicts with the Kennedy administration. Guest speakers will join in the lively conversation about the 1961 Freedom Rides, and attendees will take a tour through the new Kennedy Exhibition.
• For more information or to register, please contact Kerry Sautner at the National Constitution Center.

Created Equal? The Abolitionists: Radicals. Agitators. Troublemakers. Liberators. 
• Thursday, 4/9/15
• 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
• At the Philadelphia History Museum
• The Philadelphia History Museum invites you to a screening of The Abolitionists, a documentary film vividly bringing to life the struggles of ordinary men and women - black and white, enslaved and free – that culminated in the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment.
• Dr. Lawrence Little, Associate Professor of History at Villanova, will discuss how the issues and themes raised in the film relate to current events. Objects from PHM’s collections will be on display during the program, including a “free labor” girl’s dress circa 1840s. 
• For more information or to register, please contact Prudence Haines at the Philadelphia History Museum.

About the African American Museum in Philadelphia
The African American Museum in Philadelphia collects and preserves art and artifacts and, through exhibitions and programs, interprets the history and stories of African Americans and those of the African Diaspora. We enrich the lives of all visitors, especially children and youth, using education to empower them through experiences that will enlighten them culturally and intellectually. We are a gathering place for the community, a forum for broader community engagement and a partner for collaborations with historical and cultural institutions.

About the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia
The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia is a civic project to increase understanding of one of America’s greatest cities. From abolition and the American Revolution to yellow fever and zoos (with cheesesteaks, rowhouses, and hundreds of other topics in between), the digital Encyclopedia and its print volume will offer the most comprehensive, authoritative reference source ever created for the Philadelphia region.

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. 

About the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
The Historical Society of Pennsylvania (HSP) is a provider of education and information for the people of Philadelphia and beyond. With over 21 million documents – including manuscripts, graphics, and ephemera – HSP serves more than 4,000 on-site researchers annually and millions more around the globe who use its online resources. HSP offers extensive online resources including digital collections, curricular materials, and hosts educator workshops, public programs and lectures throughout the year.

About the National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is the first and only institution in America established by Congress to “disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.” The Constitution Center brings the United States Constitution to life by hosting interactive exhibitions and constitutional conversations and inspires active citizenship by celebrating the American constitutional tradition.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) 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. 

About the Philadelphia History Museum
Reopened to the public in September 2012 with the completion of a total interior renovation, the Philadelphia History Museum unveiled redesigned galleries to showcase its outstanding collection of historical objects, art, and artifacts. The Museum, founded by City Ordinance in 1938 to coincide with the 150th anniversary of the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia, is housed in an historic 1826 building at 15 South 7th Street, designed by John Haviland as the original home of the Franklin Institute. The Museum provides historical context for issues of contemporary urban life using its premier collection of over 100,000 objects, paintings, and photographs in exhibitions, programs, and interactive media.
 

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Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle 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.