Matinee

Series/Themes: Race in America, Special Guests

Genre: Documentaries

Film Year: 2019

Locations: USA

Film Length: 89 min.

Languages: English

Director: Jacqueline Olive

Preceded by the short film What if Black Boys Were Butterflies?

When Claudia Lacy’s 17-year-old son, Lennon, was found hanging from a swing set in their predominantly white neighborhood of Bladenboro, North Carolina, authorities quickly ruled his death a suicide. When suspicion begins to arise regarding the details of her son’s death, Claudia’s conviction that her son was a victim of lynching, as opposed to suicide, begins to grow. Using Claudia’s story as an entryway, director Jacqueline Olive explores recent grassroots efforts of four neighborhoods in the United States to recognize the victims of lynching and heal the supplemental traumas of their communities. As it becomes clear that the injustices of the past continue to affect the present, this film questions how our nation can reconcile with the past and ensure continued racial justice. Discussion with director Jacqueline Olive and subject Cassandra Green, moderated by Michelle Jackson (VAFF)

This film is part of the Race in America series presented by James Madison’s Montpelier and supported by Bama Works Fund at the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, the UVA Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights, and the UVA Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion