Fannie Lou Hamer’s America Featured at ASALH Film Festival
OCTOBER 26, 2022 - MONTGOMERY, AL
In their first in-person conference held since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) also hosted a film festival that featured the newly released, Fannie Lou Hamer’s America.
The 107th annual meeting was held in Montgomery, Alabama, from September 29 to October 1. Besides the film festival, the conference featured a rich program of scholarly sessions, professional workshops, historical tours, the Author’s Book Signing series, and many other events that illuminated the importance of what some historians and health care professionals called the “social and economic determinants of health and wellness.”
ASALH was established by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in Chicago in Septmber 1915. An author, activist, historian and journalist, Woodson was one of the first scholars to study the history of the African diaspora, including African-American history. A founder of The Journal of Negro History in 1916, which is still published under the name Journal of African American History, Woodson has been called the "father of black history". In February 1926, he launched the celebration of "Negro History Week", the precursor of Black History Month.
In continuing their founder’s legacy, ASALH’s goal is to promote “greater knowledge of African American history through a program of research, publishing and education.” In harmony with that mission, ASALH’s conference theme for 2022 was, “Black Health and Wellness.” Organizers said that issue “has never been more timely, nor more deserving of study.” They further said, the theme “provides multiple ways to explore, learn and share both historical and modern perspectives on the fight to achieve health equity and well-being while grappling with intersecting inequalities.”
The film festival featured numerous films including Black Feminist, A Crime On The Bayou, Reclaiming Power and Barbara Lee. Fannie Lou Hamer’s America was screened on Friday, September 30, and moderated by Dr. Derrick Lanois, a history professor at Norfolk State University. Filmmakers Joy Davenport and Monica Land attended virtually.
"Fannie Lou Hamer had an immediate impact on the audience and got them to discussing the film,” Lanois said. “A true sign that the film is highlighting Hamer’s life and contributions to our understanding of African American history, United States history, and World history and how one person can make a difference.”
Lanois said those in attendance “were a diverse group of scholars, historians, educators, and the general public and expressed excitement during the screening.”
About Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH): Established on September 9, 1915, by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, they are the Founders of Black History Month and carry forth the work of their founder, the Father of Black History. They continue his legacy of speaking a fundamental truth to the world–that Africans and peoples of African descent are makers of history and co-workers in what W. E. B. Du Bois called, “The Kingdom of Culture.” ASALH’s mission is to create and disseminate knowledge about Black History, to be, in short, the nexus between the Ivory Tower and the global public. They labor in the service of Blacks and all humanity.