Local students turn camera on civil rights history

Special to the Tortoise

A civil rights documentary produced by Tallahassee School of Arts and Sciences students will premiere Thursday, Oct. 12, at the school auditorium at 6:30 p.m.

At the school’s extended-day program, students have been meeting after school twice a week to create a documentary pertaining to the Tallahassee civil rights movement. The premiere coincides with a national event, Lights on Afterschool, which promotes the role of school-age childcare.

“It’s very interesting, not only learning about the civil rights movement in Tallahassee, but learning how to make a movie at the same time. It’s a great way to learn, ” said eighth grader Sarah Higbee-Tindell, who worked on the interview team.

The students, ages 10 to 13, worked together in groups to plan segments of the film dealing with different areas of the civil rights movement.
They interviewed activists Rev. Henry Steele, Ann Roberts, Edwin Norwood, and Rosalie Hill. The students researched by using the Florida Memory Project and other web sites, and the students also read books and participated in a tour of the civil rights exhibit at the Old Capitol.
“I wanted students to meet and hear the local activists who are alive and can inspire them to stand up and act for the issues students find important,” said after-school director Kate Taluga. She conceived the project after attending a summer workshop with Rossier Productions through Leon County schools.

“I felt that while students may know Dr. Martin Luther King’s and Rosa Park’s names… they have very little understanding [of how] the movement was taking place all over the South in every metropolis and little town,” she said. “Our town’s role in the movement was very significant as the state capital and a rural city in Florida.”

The students worked with Rossier Productions Incorporated (RPI) a local production company promoting history and culture through multimedia programs and products for schools and communities worldwide.
“I enjoy working with the students because in addition to encouraging local history awareness among the students who are participating, I find that I am also learning a lot,” said Kristin Bass-Petersen, the primary director of the documentary and an RPI employee.

A Rintels Foundation grant funded the documentary. The premiere will also include a showcase of art and music from the extended day students celebrating Lights On Afterschool. The public is invited.

The school is at 3208 Thomasville Road, Tallahassee.
For more information regarding the extended-day program or the event contact Kate Taluga at 386-6566, ext. 117.