PALEY CENTER FOR MEDIA, THE: SHALL WE OVERCOME? INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY EXPLORES CIVIL RIGHTS YESTERDAY, TODAY, AND TOMORROW {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of seminars presented by The Paley Center for Media in New York. This seminar examines the history, legacy, and current state of civil rights leaders in the United States through two new documentaries presented on "Investigation Discovery," "March to Justice," commemorating the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's by examining the famous march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 as well as a 2012 commemoration of that event attended by members of the Kennedy family, and an installment from the series "Injustice Files" entitled "Hood of Suspicion," examining recent instances of racial profiling and the potential abuse of self-defense laws. Host David Bushman (television curator, The Paley Center for Media in New York) offers opening comments before bringing Henry Schleiff (President and General Manager, "Investigation Discovery") to the stage. Schleiff offers his own remarks before bringing moderator Harry Smith (correspondent, "Rock Center with Brian Williams") to the stage. Smith moderates the following panelists: human rights activist Kerry Kennedy; John Seigenthaler (former aide to Robert F. Kennedy); civil rights activist Carolyn McKinstry; Keith Beauchamp (filmmaker, "Injustice Files: Hood of Suspicion"); and Robbie Tolan, a victim of a well-publicized racial profiling case in Bellaire, Texas. The panelists touch on such topics as: Tolan's experiences in Bellaire before and after his encounter with the local police, and how the incident changed his perception of his hometown's police department; McKinstry's reaction to the Tolan shooting incident; Seigenthaler's recollections of his involvement with the Freedom Riders, including his being assaulted by an angry mob; the evolution of activism and institutionalized racism in the United States according to Kennedy; a film about the famous Emmett Till case made by Beauchamp and his thoughts on how it relates to the "multi-generational" issue of racism in the United States; treatment of minority groups by mainstream media; how Hurricane Katrina helped exposed the "intersection between race and poverty"; and racial issues surrounding farm workers in the state of New York. Questions from the audience then lead to a discussion of the following topics among others: the issues Tolan continues to face in his daily life and the fate of the policemen who assaulted him; thoughts on how to inform younger generations about civil rights issues both past and present; the social environment in the 1960's, particularly in reference to McKinstry and the bombing scare she experienced; how she felt when she attended the funeral of her friends who were killed in a church bombing; and Seigenthaler's recollection of telling his grandson about his experiences with the Civil Rights Movement. A selection from "March to Justice" is included, touching on topics such as an overview of the protest against segregated buses in 1950's Alabama sparked by Rosa Parks; examples of the violent backlash from segregationists, such as the bombing of Martin Luther King Jr.'s home; efforts towards school desegregation in 1960, including that of then-child activist Ruby Bridges Hall; the work of young student activists in the South in the 1960's who would come to be known as "Freedom Riders" and Seigenthaler's involvement in aiding them; and a bombing in Birmingham, Alabama 1963 directed at an African-American church attended by McKinstry. Also includes a segment from "Injustice Files: Hood of Suspicion" of Beauchamp investigating the shooting of Tolan in Bellaire, Texas and interviewing his family.
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: February 12, 2013 7:15 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:49
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 109704
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - News/Talk
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- David Bushman … Host
- Harry Smith … Moderator
- Kerry Kennedy … Panelist
- John Seigenthaler … Panelist
- Carolyn McKinstry … Panelist
- Keith Beauchamp … Panelist
- Robbie Tolan … Panelist
- Henry Schleiff … Guest
- Ruby Bridges Hall
- Robert F. Kennedy
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- Rosa Parks
- Emmett Till