University of Maryland Descendant History Filmfest: Land, Legacy, and Loss

This film festival is a student project of the University of Maryland’s graduate seminar on Social and Ethnic Issues in Historic Preservation (HISP 635). This festival aims to showcase films depicting descendant communities and their histories, as well as films that explore the themes of Land, Legacy, and Loss. We are adopting the definition of descendant communities given in the Engaging Descendant Communities in the Interpretation of Museums and HIstoric Sites rubric created by James Madison’s Montpelier and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which states that “A descendant community can include those whose ancestors were enslaved not only at a particular site, but also throughout the surrounding region, reflecting the fact that family ties often crossed plantation boundaries. A descendant community can also welcome those who feel connected to the work the institution is doing, whether or not they know of a genealogical connection.”

This festival will run from 10 am - 1 pm at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. This event is free and open to the public. You are not required to register in advance to attend this event.

Info: Join HISP635 for a screening of Oliver St. Clair Franklin's "Becoming American: Philadelphia's Story." Set against the backdrop of America’s founding, “Becoming American: Philadelphia’s Story” explores the lives of the racially diverse early communities in the city — men and women, both white and black, whose resilience and intellect helped to enhance the original Quaker vision and principles; people who, through cooperation and conflict, strove to shape the nation from its very beginning.
Unlike traditional narratives that center only on the well-known founders, this film shines a light on the everyday people, whose lives, struggles, and triumphs are often written out of history.
Through rich storytelling and historical depth, it celebrates a community that built, resisted, and thrived in the era that promised liberty and equality, revealing how their contributions were essential to the making of a new America and what it was to find their identity in this radical new nation.

Info: Next, enjoy a screening of "History Half Told Is Untold," a documentary created by the Let Freedom Ring Foundation to celebrate the history of the First Baptist Church, the oldest continually active African American church in the United States and located in Williamsburg, Virginia established by both free and enslaved blacks. The film will feature key moments in history from the 18th to the 21st century as told by members of the current congregation and community partners.

Info: Finally, join HISP635 for our final film of the day, "The Journey to 1619." This short film was created by the Dijmon Hounsou Foundation and features he stakeholders of Black History in Hampton, Virginia, the landing site of the first recorded Africans who arrived in English North America in 1619. This marks the beginning of an African presence in Virginia, an African American identity, and the long history of slavery, resistance, and freedom.

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Host or Publisher Elizabeth Coleman