Milwaukee PBS Hosts Public Screening and Community Discussion of Stanley Nelson’s New Film ‘Tell Them We Are Rising’
Documentary Explores the History and Importance of Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Milwaukee, WI, April 17, 2018 – Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and Milwaukee PBS, is excited to present Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities, which explores the pivotal role historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played over the course of 150 years in American history, culture, and identity. The film reveals the rich history of HBCUs and the power of higher education to transform lives and advance civil rights and equality in the face of injustice. The latest film from America’s foremost film chronicler of the African-American experience director Stanley Nelson (Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution, Freedom Riders), Tell Them We Are Rising brings to life the powerful story of the rise, influence, and evolution of HBCUs.
A haven for Black intellectuals, artists, and revolutionaries — and a path of promise toward the American dream — HBCUs have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field while remaining unapologetically Black for more than 150 years. These institutions have nurtured some of the most influential Americans of our time, including Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, Jr., W.E.B. Du Bois, Ralph Ellison, Toni Morrison, Oprah Winfrey, Alice Walker, Spike Lee and Common.
WHAT: FREE preview screening of Tell Them We Are Rising followed by a panel discussion with community leaders.
WHEN: Thursday, April 26
Noon and 7:00 p.m.
*Doors open at 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
WHERE: MATC’s Cooley Auditorium
1015 N. 6th Street
M Building, 2nd Floor
RSVP: MilwaukeePBS.org
*Tickets are free but limited – advance registration strongly recommended
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities is the centerpiece of a yearlong multi-platform effort called HBCU Rising. Featuring national partnerships (including The Black College Fund, Color of Change, Akila Worksongs, Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH), Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC), Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., United Negro College Fund, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Blackout for Human Rights and The Campaign for Black Male Achievement), exclusive events, StoryCorps audio stories, video shorts, an HBCU campus tour and a crowdsourced HBCU Digital Yearbook, HBCU Rising will examine and celebrate the legacy of HBCUs. For more information, visit HBCURising.com.
About Milwaukee PBS
Milwaukee PBS is southeastern Wisconsin’s premier non-commercial media organization. Milwaukee PBS consists of two high-definition television stations, WMVS and WMVT, and four additional digital television services. The Milwaukee PBS stations are the area’s only over-the-air source for PBS and other national public television programs. The stations are watched by over 627,770 viewers each week throughout southeastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Milwaukee PBS is a viewer-supported service of Milwaukee Area Technical College. MATC is a two-year vocational-technical college based in Milwaukee, WI offering day, evening and weekend classes on four campuses. For more information, visit www.MilwaukeePBS.org.
About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS’s Independent Lens, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics, to family and relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation. Can’t attend in person? Find Independent Lens on Facebook for information on our online Pop-Up events.
About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10:00 PM. The acclaimed series, with Lois Vossen as executive producer, features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation: facebook.com/independentlens and on Twitter @IndependentLens
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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