SFCG on Race

Civil Rights Narratives

Many stories of the Civil Rights movement have been collected and shared in books, popular film, documentaries, theater productions, and other media. Despite the wealth of knowledge that exists to tell the stories of this movement, many of our 2009 Racial Healing Working Group participants
acknowledge that more needs to be done, and more stories need to be told.

The Civil Rights Narratives Project trains students to interview, chronicle and bear witness to the narratives of people who participated in the Civil Rights Movement. SFCG on Race is currently collaborating with the Robert Russa Moton Museum in Prince Edward County, Virginia to achieve this end. The narratives focus on the "foot soldiers" of the movement -- those who did not hold formal leadership positions, but whose actions and perspectives still hold great worth. Narratives of those who supported segregation and their families are also collected. In addition to factual information about what took place, the interviews solicit information about how participants have coped with the impact of the events.

The permanent exhibit in the Moton Museum maps the social and political timeline during the Prince Edward County fight for civil rights in education. Exhibiting how citizens interacted with the policy decisions at each stage of the journey allows for a discussion about the impact of these events that goes beyond a black/white racial divide. Our work with the museum will explore the modern day challenges in the community and how they relate to the experiences of those directly impacted by past events. This project provides an opportunity for people to find reconciliation and healing through the sharing of stories.

Objectives

• Create intergenerational conversations about the Civil Rights Movement, and provide opportunities for reconciliation.
• Expand the narrative of the Civil Rights movement and contribute to healing the trauma of violence.