Free Screening of "100 Years from Mississippi"

Photo Credit: Gary Hunter

After the screening, there will be a panel discussion with Tarabu Kirkland (Filmmaker and son of Mamie Lang Kirkland), Dr. Janice Y. Ferguson and Aitina Fareed-Cooke. Reserve your seat for this special screening today!

Popcorn and beverages will be provided.

FREE PARKING IS AVAILABLE IN OUR PARKING LOT LOCATED OFF OF CHARLES STREET.

This is a 13+ event. You MUST register on Eventbrite to attend. Spots are limited, so reserve your seat today!

Photo Credit: Andrea Morales

Mamie Lang Kirkland was seven years old when she fled Ellisville, Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. John Hartfield returned to Mississippi in 1919 and was killed in one of the most horrific lynchings of the era.

Mamie’s son, Tarabu, had grown up hearing stories of John Hartfield but didn’t know if his mother’s stories were fact or folklore until one day in 2015. Tarabu discovered an article describing Hartfield’s M**der before a crowd of 10,000 spectators. At that moment, the film was born.

Mamie had vowed for a century that she would never return to Mississippi. Yet with Tarabu’s remarkable find, he urged his mother to finally confront her childhood trauma by returning to Ellisville. Mamie was 107 when they began the journey to connect her story to the larger impact of America’s legacy of racial violence, which echoes today from Ferguson to New York, Atlanta to Los Angeles. Like many of the six million African Americans who left the Deep South, Mamie’s story is a testament to the courage and hope of her generation. Her indomitable will and contagious joy of living is exceeded only by her ability to tell her story now 111 years later. In a time of great social divisions, ‘100 Years From Mississippi’ gives us the simple wisdom of an ordinary woman’s extraordinary life.

This free screening is brought to you by Buffalo Toronto Public Media, along with our partners: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. - Buffalo Alumnae Chapter, First Shiloh Baptist Church and Buffalo International Film Festival.

Panelist: Tarabu Betserai Kirkland - Director/Producer

Tarabu’s background as a Media Artist, Producer and Administrator includes twenty years in Public Radio having served as General Manager of radio station KPFK-FM in Los Angeles, Assistant Manager of KPFA in Berkeley where he co-founded the Third World Media Department and helped establish national radio training programs for producers of color, and General Manager of the Community Information Network. He is also the author and composer of the musical “Jukebox” which stared Danny Glover, author, and producer of the stage play “Ritual of a Bop Solo,” producer of the stage play “Jungle Bells,” and producer and musical co-director for the National Public Radio drama “Quiet Thunder.” Tarabu has been the writer and producer for numerous radio documentary projects and the writer/producer /and director of the award-winning documentary film, “100 Years From Mississippi.”

Panelist: Janice Y. Ferguson, Ph.D.

Dr. Janice Y. Ferguson was blessed to be born into a loving Christian family which instilled in her the wonder and mastery of God, the importance and liberation power of education, and the responsibility to serve and give back to others. Having lived in Buffalo most of her life, it is here that she dedicated her work and time to education, youth development, and community service.

She is a proud graduate of the Buffalo Public Schools, Howard University (B.A.- History); State University of New York at Buffalo (M.Ed.- Counselor Education); Canisius College (New York State School District Administrator Certification Program); and Antioch University (Ph.D. in Leadership and Change).

Dr. Ferguson’s other notable achievements include working in the Buffalo Public Schools for 32 years as a teacher, school counselor, Director of Guidance and Counseling Services, and the Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services. She oversaw the delivery of Title/Chapter I Programs, organized the School and Business Partnership Program, and helped establish the first Buffalo Public Schools Mentoring Program. Additionally, she worked as a Dean of Instruction at Bryant & Stratton College.

Dr. Ferguson is an active long-time member of First Shiloh Baptist Church. In 1998 at the church’s 80th anniversary, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2024 she was recognized by the Purposeful Women of Faith for her ministerial work. Dr. Ferguson served as Chair of the 2006 Pastoral Search Committee and is a past member of the Board of Trustees. She currently sits on several auxiliaries including Christian Education, Scholarship, Budget, and Historical Committees. Dr. Ferguson’s additional community service includes membership in Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority-Gamma Phi Omega Chapter, Buffalo (NY) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, Afro-American Historical Association of the Niagara Frontier, Inc., and The Buffalo History Museum. In 2024, she became a board member of the Michigan Street Baptist Church, Buffalo Niagara Freedom Station Coalition.

Over the years, Dr. Ferguson has received numerous awards for her work in education and community service. She was honored by the Mary B. Talbert Club (2019). Additionally, Dr. Ferguson and her husband received the Buffalo Urban League Family Life Award (2016), and the National Federation for Justice Communities of WNY, Inc. (NFJC) Outstanding Leadership and Devoted Service to the WNY Community (2017).

Dr. Ferguson’s research passion is Black women leadership which she advances in a myriad of ways. In 2019, Dr. Ferguson lead a workshop on Ethical Leadership for the American Baptist Women Leadership Seminar at Houghton College in Houghton, New York. Over a 13-week period, at the Aloma D. Johnson Charter School, Dr. Ferguson facilitated an early awareness program designed to encourage the engagement of 3rd & 4th grade minority students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) activities. Additionally, Dr. Ferguson secured a grant from Humanities New York for a four-month reading and discussion collaborative of Black Women, from New Covenant United Church of Christ, the Ellicott District and the Buffalo (NY) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated to increase cultural understanding and foster the development of catalysts for greater civic engagement.

Panelist: Aitina Fareed-Cooke

Aitina Fareed-Cooke, also known as "A.I. The Anomaly," is a multifaceted artist—wife, mother, Creative Arts Strategist, National Recording Artist, and Buffalo's current Poet Laureate. She founded Get Fokus'd Productions (GFP), an award-winning media arts company dedicated to collaborating with emerging and professional artists to produce "human-first" narratives through digital storytelling.
As a lyricist, Aitina blends poetic narratives with hip-hop and jazzy instrumentation, aiming to ignite thought and expand perspectives. Her work encourages community engagement, inviting individuals to explore creative work, leading to collaborative projects showcased to broader audiences. She has executively produced four full-length albums, amassing over 2 million streams across platforms, her songwriting abilities has led her to not only collaborate with Grammy award winning artists but also featuring on a 2024 Grammy winning album.
Aitina's community based projects have been recognized and supported with substantial funding from Creatives Rebuild New York and the New York State Council on the Arts. Her creative work have been exhibited in prestigious institutions like the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Her accolades include the 43 North's Ignite Buffalo $100K People's Choice Award, Buffalo State University's Young Alumnus Achievement Award, Citizens Bank Community Champion award, the Arts Services Inc. Trailblazer of the Arts Award and more. Aitina is an inspiring leader and catalyst for positive change within her community while contributing to the creative arts economy.

Moderator: TBD

Host or Publisher Buffalo Toronto Public Media