Looking Back on Segregation: An audio sample

I'd like to try something new in this blog post and present an audio clip from the soundtrack of Dare Not Walk Alone. Please let me know if you find it interesting. If it works, I will try adding some music from the soundtrack as well.

Post-screening discussions of the film sometimes revolve around one historical figure, and it's not Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Maybe it's because so much is already known about Dr. King but attention tends to focus on one person against whom Dr. King squared off in the final confrontation before the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: James Brock.

It's not that Dr. King sought a fight with Mr. Brock or that Mr. Brock took on Dr. King. You might even say that Mr. Brock was in the wrong place at the wrong time. In 1964 Mr. Brock owned one of the most prominent motels in the City of St. Augustine, America's oldest continuously occupied settlement of European origin. This was long before Disney World and St. Augustine was one of Florida's leading tourist destinations. That made it a prime target for people campaigning to ban segregation in restaurants and motels, in swimming pools and on beaches (yes folks, in 1964 the Atlantic Ocean itself was segregated--something the Beatles probably didn't think about when they flew over it to perform on the Ed Sullivan show in February of that year).

Mr. Brock was a prominent local businessman. He started the organization that became the United Way of St. Johns County. Most of the business owners in St. Johns County were white and most were opposed to segregation. Mr. Brock's personal position is unclear. He made statements opposing desegregation, but also expressed a willingness to integrate if the law was changed (the law in Florida required segregation). When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was signed he opened his motel and restaurant to all races; several former protesters have talked about being made welcome there. Mr. Brock's established was then picketed by Klan supporters objecting to his conformation with the new federal law.

Listen now as the late Mr. Brock, speaking in 2004, talks about some of the events of 1964 (in this excerpt from the soundtrack of Dare Not Walk Alone--click the small white > button to start the audio).


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More Great Feedback on Dare Not Walk Alone's "Transformative" Power

We just heard back from a university professor in Tennessee who used Dare Not Walk Alone in a class project.

She said that watching the film was "a profound experience for our group and in a few cases truly transformative."

In the next few days we hope to post some of the student comments here. (As a reminder, Jeremy Dean, the director of Dare Not Walk Alone, is available to visit colleges and universities with the film--email info@dnwa.info for more details.)

Photo Caption: Watched by state troopers, black and white protestors opposed to segregation kneel in prayer outside the Monson Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida, 1964.
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Dare Not Walk Alone DVD Pick of the Week

Thanks Columbus, Ohio!

When Dare Not Walk Alone played in Columbus last year it was an audience favorite and you gave us our first award.

And now that the DVD has been released, Dare Not Walk Alone is a Pick of the Week. We really appreciate your support and encouragement. The world needs to know: Columbus rocks!
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Powerful Civil Rights Film Now On DVD

Here is the latest press release about the DVD. Please pass it on to any reporters or journalists you happen to know. You can send them this short link: http://is.gd/70Pc

Thanks!

POWERFUL CIVIL RIGHTS FILM NOW ON DVD

Brooklyn, New York, November 11, 2008 -- Dare Not Walk Alone, a feature-length documentary about little-known events in America's civil rights struggle, is now available on DVD at Walmart and other stores. The film clearly illustrates what President-elect Obama has called "the gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time." While documenting Dr. King's heroic campaign to end segregation, the film also paints a disturbing portrait of lingering inequality, some 40 years later, in one community where that campaign was waged.

The Dare Not Walk Alone trailer can be seen at the film's web site: http://darenotwalkalone.com.

Created by Brooklyn-based artist and director, Jeremy Dean, Dare Not Walk Alone has been hailed by critics as "a powerhouse of a picture" and "important filmmaking." However, making the film was an uphill battle according to executive producer Stephen Cobb.

"The director insisted the film go beyond documenting the bravery and brilliance of Dr. King's victorious strategy of non-violence to explore the aftermath of that victory," said Cobb. "But a lot of people thought this approach was too radical for a mainstream audience."

Yet this is one small budget independent documentary that beat the odds and achieved DVD distribution through major stores like Walmart, Target, FYE, Movies Unlimited, and Amazon.com. The film's distributor is Indican Pictures.

"When Indican told us Walmart ordered DVDs," says Dean, "We were thrilled, but also stunned. That's almost impossible when you're an indie project with no star backing."

Although the DVD is not on the shelves in every Walmart yet, the retail giant is shipping from Walmart.com, according to Cobb.

"Our hats are off to both Walmart and Indican," said Cobb. "We're delighted with Indican because they have moved us closer to our goal of giving everyone in America a chance to see this film."

The DVD features interviews with Ambassador Andrew Young and the late James Brock, owner of the motel in St. Augustine, Florida, where Dr. King was arrested. There is also an interview with Dean who is currently on a campus tour, most recently appearing at Notre Dame University's WorldView Film Series.

About Dare Not Walk Alone

Featuring rare archival footage, the film also contains recent interviews with participants in the campaign to pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The project began in 2003 when director Dean was still in his twenties. After post-production work at Atlanta-based Crawford Communications, the final cut debuted in 2007 and was quickly signed for distribution by Indican Pictures. Theatrical screenings in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland garnered praise from critics:

"Powerful slice of roiling American history."
Los Angeles Times

"Has great potential to do real good in the world."
Boxoffice.com

"Minutely attuned to disparities of class and race...a triumph of outrage and empathy."
Willamette Week

"Deserves to be seen"
New York Times

"Packs a punch."
Village Voice

Contact:
Jeremy Dean, writer and director
Stephen Cobb, executive producer
email: info@dnwa.info

Release is now on the wire and showing up:
MarketWatch,

President-elect Obama!

Three wonderful words!

New Civil Rights Film Now Available on DVD from Walmart

PRESS RELEASE: New Civil Rights Film Now Available on DVD from Walmart

(This is a preview of the press release that will be going out soon--if you know of journalists who might interested in covering this story, please pass this information to them--and/or email info@dnwa.info--Thanks!)

Brooklyn, New York (Pre-release) November, 2008 -- Dare Not Walk Alone, the critically-acclaimed documentary about the civil rights struggle, has beaten the odds and achieved DVD distribution through Walmart. The retail giant normally carries only a select group of documentary feature films, such as An Uncomfortable Truth and Fahrenheit 9/11. (The Dare Not Walk Alone trailer is available on YouTube and at http://darenotwalkalone.com.)

Created by first-time director, Jeremy Dean, Dare Not Walk Alone offers a fresh and gritty perspective on the civil rights struggle and its aftermath in a community that dramatically illustrates what Senator Barack Obama has called "the gap between the promise of our ideals and the reality of their time."

Acknowledging that this was a major marketing coup by the film's distributor, Indican Pictures, Dean said "When they called to say Walmart had ordered the DVD, we were thrilled." Added Dean, "We were also a little stunned because it’s almost impossible to get a feature-length independent film with zero star-backing into Walmart."

While not yet on the shelves in every Walmart, the retail giant has started shipping Dare Not Walk Alone to customers who order the DVD from Walmart.com, according to the film's executive producer Stephen Cobb.

"Our hats are definitely off to Walmart," said Cobb, adding, "As for Indican, we were both impressed and delighted that they got our film into Walmart because it takes us a big step closer to realizing our goal of giving as many Americans as possible as chance to see this film."

Hailed by one critic as "a triumph of outrage and empathy," Dare Not Walk Alone does more than document a number of crucial but often-overlooked confrontations in Dr. King's fight against segregation. Described by Film Journal International as "More than just another civil-rights history lesson," the film also explores the aftermath of that struggle in one African American community where those confrontations took place.

In addition to being available at Walmart.com, the Dare Not Walk Alone DVD, which features deleted scenes and an interview with the director, can now be queued at Netflix and should be widely available from stores such as F.Y.E., Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com and Movies Unlimited starting November 11.

Director Jeremy Dean is currently touring college campuses conducting workshops on the film and holding Q&A sessions after screenings. He most recently appeared at Notre Dame University as part of its WorldView Film Series.

About Dare Not Walk Alone

Featuring previously unaired archival footage from 1964 and exclusive present day interviews with participants in the campaign against segregation, Dare Not Walk Alone was conceived and created by Jeremy Dean, now a Brooklyn-based artist and film maker. He began work on the project in 2003 while still in his twenties and the film was first shown at festivals in 2006. A new cut was created when tragedy struck one family highlighted in the film. After extensive post-production work by Atlanta-based Crawford Communications the final cut debuted in 2007. Soon after winning the audience award at the Deep Focus Film Festival in Columbus, Ohio, the film was signed by Los Angeles-based Indican Pictures for theatrical and DVD/TV distribution. Here are some of the comments from critics during theatrical outings in New York, Los Angeles, and Portland:

"Powerful slice of roiling American history" - Los Angeles Times

"Has great potential to do real good in the world" - Boxoffice Magazine

"A powerhouse of a picture, minutely attuned to disparities of class and race...a triumph of outrage and empathy" - Willamette Week

"Packs a punch" - Village Voice

"The racial politics of the current presidential election make this film all the more significant" - Film Journal International

"Mesmerizing and heart-rending" - L.A. City Beat

"Deserves to be seen" - New York Times

Source/Contact:
Stephen Cobb, producer and executive producer
Jeremy Dean, producer and director
Dare Not Walk Alone
email: info@dnwa.info
Official Web Site: http://darenotwalkalone.com
Walmart listing: http://tinyurl.com/dwmart
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Dare Not Walk Alone: More images from 1964

Andrew Young being attacked by white segregationists during a night march to the historic slave market in St. Augustine.

Senator Barack Obama on Civil Rights

We noticed this quote from Barack Obama recently, from a speech he gave at Howard University, September 28, 2007, and we thought it was worth blogging:

“The teenagers and college students who left their homes to march in the streets of Birmingham and Montgomery; the mothers who walked instead of taking the bus after a long day of doing somebody else's laundry and cleaning somebody else's kitchen — they didn't brave fire hoses and Billy clubs so that their grandchildren and their great-grandchildren would still wonder at the beginning of the 21st century whether their vote would be counted; whether their civil rights would be protected by their government; whether justice would be equal and opportunity would be theirs. . . . We have more work to do.”

This quote brought to mind this shot, taken from film footage in Dare Not Walk Alone. It shows three students, one black and two white, at a non-violent protest against segregated dining. The police officer is using a cattle prod to "enourage" one student to get into the police car. Eventually, all three students were taken into custody. Interestingly, James Brock, the owner of the restaurant that was the site of the protest, asked the police to stop using cattle prods on the protestors (and they complied).

DNWA Mini-College Tour a Big Hit: Race + politics = lively classes!

Jeremy just got back from events at Mercyhurst College and Notre Dame University. Both went really well. There were over 200 students at one of the screenings. He did several classroom visits and conducted Question & Answer sessions after each screening, receiving a lot of thanks and encouragement.

(If you would like to book the film on your campus or want to get in touch with Jeremy for an interview please email speaker@dnwa.info.)

There's no doubt that the topic of race in American politics is a hot one right now, on news networks as well as on campuses, even as the two presidential campaigns steer clear of the subject (which we totally get, I mean neither Obama or McCain want to bring this up, at least not directly).

But if we have learned anything from the four years we have spent working on the Dare Not Walk Alone project it is that what people say in public and what they think in private can be very different when the topic is race. And don't you get this feeling that many Americans are holding their breath over this election? They are just hoping that race does not play a role in the outcome. We want to believe we are past that. But we're just not sure.

We know a lot of Obama supporters are worried that the Bradley-effect may still be very real. ("Named for Tom Bradley, an African-American who lost the 1982 California governor's race despite being ahead in the polls--the Bradley effect refers a voter tendency to tell pollsters they are undecided or likely to vote for a black candidate but on election day they vote for his/her white opponent."--Wikipedia)

Pundits and so-called experts appearing all over TV this weekend kept saying the Bradley effect is a thing of the past. But they obviously haven't spent much time living and working in North Florida, where you will find a lot of white people are still angry over the forced desgregation of their once "separate but equal" communities.

We think the reason Jeremy is earning the respect of students at these campus events is that he is an expert. If you spend five years of your life making a documentary about racial issues in American society you've defiintely earned that title. We think folks like CNN, CBS, NBC and BBC America should be talking to Jeremy, not political pundits. And they should be showing clips from Dare Not Walk Alone, where you can almost feel the hatred of white Americans back in 1964, Americans who actively opposed equal rights, with bats and chains and boots. (Those civil rights marches weren't awareness building exercises like a rally for the environment--there was, as Commissioner Errol Jones so wryly points out "opposition.")

And 1964 was not that long ago when you think that some of the white kids attacking blacks on the beaches of Florida back then are just turning 60 this year. As Jeremy's brilliant interview with James Brock in the film makes clear, many of those people are not apologetic for the role they played. But very few of them are as honest with the public as Mr. Brock was with Jeremy in that interview.
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South Bend Tribune: Forgotten Civil Rights battleground focus of film

A good article about Dare Not Walk Alone in the South Bend Tribune by Jeremy D. Bonfiglio today. The film is being shown shown Friday and Saturday as part of the Worldview Film Series at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Center for the Performing Arts.