Series/Themes: The Black Experience, zFeatured, zRace in America, zSocial & Political Issues, zSpecial Guests

Genre: Documentaries

Film Year: 1997

Locations: USA

Film Length: 102 min.

Director: Spike Lee

Featuring: Maxine McNair, Chris McNair, Walter Cronkite, Helen Pegues, Queen Nunn, Arthur Hanes Jr.

Preceded by the short film I Can’t Breathe (45 min.)

On September 15, 1963, four black girls in their early teens were murdered in their Sunday school class when a bomb exploded at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. In the months before the attack, the racist mentality pervading the South brought tensions to a breaking point. This domestic terror attack changed the national conversation around the Civil Rights Movement, awakening the United States to the presence of hate that was preventing integration. Director Spike Lee (Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing) crafts the grim tale using archival footage and interviews with family, historians, politicians, and newsmen. This Academy Award-nominated documentary achieves a balance between personal anecdotes and a larger sociopolitical view. Discussion with director Spike Lee, moderated by Maurice Wallace (UVA)

Presented by James Madison’s Montpelier

Supported by the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, the Office for Diversity and Equity, and HBO

Please Note: There will be metal detectors and bag checks at the front of The Paramount for this event. Please plan to arrive 30-45 minutes early.