The Freedom Film Series Presents Sweet Georgia Brown: Impact, Courage, Sacrifice and Will
MEDIA CONTACT:
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
Assia Johnson
(513) 333-7555
(513) 787-2110
asjohnson@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (October 26, 2016) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced Sweet Georgia Brown: Impact, Courage, Sacrifice and Will as the next film in the Freedom Film Series—a series that reveals stories about the pursuit of freedom past and present, reflecting on struggles and celebrating victories that encourage dialogue and change. The documentary screens Wednesday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Harriet Tubman Theater, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Lawrence E. Walker. The screening is free and open to the public, however, registration is required.
Sweet Georgia Brown: Impact, Courage, Sacrifice and Will tells the story of the contributions made by African-American women during World War II while examining the challenges they faced and the progress that was made in race and gender policies as a result of their participation.
“Sweet Georgia Brown is a powerful documentary that details the lives of the courageous African American women who risked their lives for their county despite blatant discrimination, racism and second-class citizenship,” says Dr. Michael Battle, executive vice president and provost of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center. “This film honors their contributions, highlighting a group of Americans who are often overlooked in our history books and collective memories.”
The screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, Lawrence E. Walker. Walker is former President of Bull’s Eye Production, Inc. in Somerset, NJ. In addition to his work as a cameraman and editor for NBC-TV, CBS-TV, News 12 and TKR Cable, Walker worked on a number of PBS-TV documentaries including Paul Robeson: A Commentary, To Serve My Country, To Serve My Race, and The Life of Paul Robeson. Walker is now President/CEO of Pure History—an online social search engine and media network focusing on American History.
In addition to the conversation with the filmmaker, Pam Dock, Docent Coordinator at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, will share the story of her mother, Anna Belle Covington Fields of Bond Hill, who was one of 500 African-American nurses in two all-black U.S. Women’s Army Corps (WAC) units during World War II.
Sweet Georgia Brown screens Wednesday, November 9 at 7:00 p.m. in the Harriet Tubman Theater at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and is free and open to the public. For more information and to RSVP, visit freedomcenter.org.
###
ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
