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Student Documentary Shines Light on Little Known Civil Rights Activism During Civil War

John Hope Franklin Scholars at the Full Frame Theater. Photo by Sarah Meyer.
John Hope Franklin Scholars at the Full Frame Theater. Photo by Sarah Meyer.

The spirit of Duke historian John Hope Franklin filled the Full Frame Theater this past Saturday as 30 young scholars from local middle and high schools showed "The Civil Rights War," a 17-minute documentary about little-known civil rights battles in North Carolina during the American Civil War.

The students were part of the John Hope Franklin Young Scholars Program, a project supported by a grant from the Duke Provost’s Office and directed through the Duke Durham Neighborhood Partnership in collaboration with Duke's Center for African and African-American Research.

The documentary chronicles the early civil rights struggles by former slaves, the Cherokee and Lumbee Indians, and women on the home front during the Civil War.  The students spent the past academic year doing original research for the film, including interviews with area experts and on-location shots in several North Carolina historical sites.

Franklin Young Scholar Layla Musawwir said it was important to learn about your history.

“A lot of kids my age don’t know about these things,” Musawwir said. “I get to do things in this program that are not taught in the curriculum.”

David Stein, the program director, said he saw the students' eagerness grow during the project. “It was great to watch the growth of scholars and how much they learned,” Stein said. "The resulting documentary was a great reflection on them and the legacy of John Hope Franklin."

The documentary was shown during a ceremony and reception honoring the Young Scholars at the American Tobacco Campus. Several of the guests at the ceremony were friends of Franklin, including Barbara Blue.

“I was so pleased to see the young people do research and get down to the true meaning of John Hope Franklin,” said Blue.

“I thought the film was wonderful,” said Trisha Rostagni, another guest. “They did a great job in tying history together."

In previous years, the Franklin Young Scholars recently published a book, "Running for Hope," which weaves together events from Franklin's autobiography with a fictional story of 15-year old boy facing some similar challenges. Other projects have included study of "The Great Migration," the large-scale movement of African-Americans from the American South to the North, and the Crafting Freedom movement.

The scholars were assisted by Duke graduating senior Hans Lie-Nielsen and rising sophomore Claire Alexandre as well as several faculty and staff members and community activists. 

Shakira Warren is a rising junior at N.C. Central University who is working as an intern at the Duke Office of News and Communications this summer.