"The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights" N'ton Premiere

33 Hawley Street,Northampton MA 01060

20 May, 2023

Description

There will be two screenings on Saturday, May 20, 2023. The first at 4:00 PM, the second at 7:00PM. Participants in the film as well as the filmmakers will be at both screenings to answer questions. The Niagara Movement: The Early Battle for Civil Rights is a one-hour documentary focusing on the formation and impact of the first civil rights movement of the twentieth century. The program traces the social and economic conditions of Black Americans at the turn of the century, examines the different strategies for racial advancement led by Black leaders of the time, explores the creation of Niagara Movement, and places the legacy of the movement into a contemporary context. Central to the story of the Niagara Movement are the roles played by three of the most dynamic Black leaders of the time – Booker T. Washington, Monroe Trotter and W.E.B Du Bois. Their lives intersected at a critical junction when leading Black activists debated how best to push to obtain civil rights. The principles that drove the creation of the Niagara Movement crystallized DuBois’ radical stance to take up the fight for equal rights and were largely seen as a direct affront to the philosophy espoused by Washington.