2024 Recap
Shape Up: Gay in the Black Barbershop
Shape Up: Gay in the Black Barbershop' is a documentary short set in Harlem, NYC. This film sheds light on the vital role barbershops play within the black community while examining the often complicated relationship that black gay men have with these spaces.
One-Two-One-Seven: A Story of Japanese Internment
On February 19th, 1942, Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, an order which allowed the military to forcibly move people of Japanese ancestry into designated 'Relocation Centers' during World War II. Over 100,000 people (citizen and alien alike) were 'evacuated' in the name of national security with no legitimate reasoning beyond war time hysteria.Among the internees was my grandmother, who was only three years old at the time of her incarceration in the spring of 1942. The number '1217' refers to the Family ID Number issued to my grandmother and her family at the Manzanar Concentration Camp.Her story is just one of many from this forgotten and often ignored part of American History.
The Lost Flock: Catholic Gays Struggle Between the Church and Self
The Catholic Catechism states that “homosexual acts are disordered, and under no circumstances can they be approved.” Saint Matthew Catholic Church, located in Baltimore, Maryland, has begun a ministry designed to affirm the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) members of its parish family and the broader community. This ministry, known as LEAD (LGBT Educating and Affirming Diversity), strives to offer a sense of home and familiarity to LGBT individuals. Under the direction of Fr. Joseph Muth Jr., LEAD includes about 50 individuals – some of whom fall under the LGBT label, as well as general supporters of the mission. LEAD offers a safe place for the diverse LGBT community to congregate, share, and to find comfort amidst a larger church environment that does not fully accept them.
Nothing Happened- A Short Film
A black artist is stopped and frisked and struggles to determine the place for his experience within the larger social context of racial profiling.
AMERICAN FALLS
In a rural town in Southern Idaho, a Japanese family owns and operates a small motel. The year is 1965, the height of the civil rights era. One night a stranger sporting city clothes checks in, the first African American man that Toru Suzuki's children have ever seen. Yoshiko, Toru's precocious 13 year old daughter, takes it upon herself to solve the mystery of the man, especially after two detectives come knocking on their door in the middle of the night.
Counter Act
A jukebox diner. The usual homogeneous crowd. Two unwelcome visitors sit at the counter. Have we seen this play out before?
Two Marches
After attending the Million Man March in 1995, a pastor from Durham, North Carolina strives to recruit 1000 people in his city to attend the 20th anniversary of the march in 2015 and learns about himself in the process.
Legacy
Brooklyn's own Federation of Black Cowboys ride the trails, transport inner-city kids off the streets and onto horses, and work to preserve and celebrate the legacy of the forgotten 1/3 of old west cowboys who were Black.
Welcome’ to America
A young immigrant from the Dominican Republic talks about growing up in Washington Heights.
My Girl Rose
Inspired by a true story. Racial tension runs high in 1969 Lakeland, Florida - a small closed minded southern town. Two high school students, Rose and Jude find themselves bonding over a common cause, having an integrated prom.
The Prosecution
Attorney Racheli lev-Ari, a young prosecutor, is determined to bring a defendant accused of grave crimes to a long term detention. Facing the defence counsel, who constantly attempts to throw her off balance, she struggles to convince the detention judge. The more personal this struggle gets, the more aware becomes Racheli to the real struggle in the depths of her soul.
[solitary]
An inmate endures long-term isolation within a prison's solitary confinement unit.
LAWMAN
1875, Oklahoma Territory. Bass Reeves, is the first African-American to be deputized by the U.S. Marshal service. His wife, Nellie Jennie Reeves, tries to persuade Bass not to leave for his own safety, but Bass argues that it's the best job he can get to keep a roof over his family's head. When Bass charges into the desert, he engages in a shootout with two outlaws, Maha and Glen Huddleston, also African-American. Bass kills Maha in the gunfight, and arrests Glen, ordering him to carry Maha's body across the desert back to Fort Smith. Over the course of their journey, Glen questions Bass' choice of career and tries to psych Bass out in an unorthodox attempt at escape, a tactic that works as Bass begins to question his own mind in regards to the idea of justice and choosing to fight for a law and a country that may never fight for him.
Vitiligo
Vitiligo is a short Psychological Suspense/Thriller that tells the story of a doctoral student who is guest lecturing a series on the inequalities/disparities for African Americans in media representations. This movie will tell the story of the day after a traumatic event has happened to our main character, and we are walking our way through their psychotic break trying to piece together clues that will point us to its cause. We will walk through the protagonists gradual melt down and experience his auditory and visual delusions. We want to tell the story of this student in order to highlight Black mental health, structural racism as it relates to mental and physical health of the oppressed, and the continuous struggle of conscience duality.
Time is the Longest Distance
Time is the Longest Distance conveys the importance of familial love and acceptance through the story of three generations of men: thirty-something Adam, his aging father Jack, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, and Xander, a teenaged boy who serendipitously crosses their path. Adam arrives at his father's nursing home to share news of a major change in his life, hoping to bridge the distance that has opened up between them before Jack's Alzheimer's becomes too advanced. While things do not go as planned, Jack's chance encounter with Xander provides Adam with an unexpected way to find the acceptance he seeks.
A Life Before This
Ramarley Graham, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed in his Bronx home by a white New York City police officer four years ago. Since then, his mother, Constance Malcolm, has fought to have the officer held accountable. Her struggle for justice has led her to a life of activism and an increasingly significant role as a public figure.
Unheard
Unheard is an intimate glimpse into the life of Teresa Smith, a grieving single mother who finds the strength through music to accept and then confront the injustice in her life. The film contrasts the somber yet healing energy of Teresa's singing against the backdrop of a day in her home with her surviving children. We witness her struggle to transform a devastating haunting trauma into purpose and we watch her emerge as an activist with a voice. Avoiding sentimentality, the film visually reflects the pull between life and loss, senselessness and meaning, a resigned silence and a voice that will be heard. We are left with the profound realization that in the depths of despair, if we can claim our own power -- there is hope.
FEARLESS
10,000 Fearless men and women are determined to empower a struggling community in the midst of gun violence and uncertain conditions on the South Side of Chicago.
They Took Them Alive
In 2014, the disappearance of 43 college students sparked a historic social movement in Mexico. Faced with government obstruction of an international investigation into their disappearance, their families enter a new chapter of uncertainty but refuse to stop seeking justice and closure.
Honk: A Festival of Activist Street Bands
Honk! is a festival of activist street bands who reclaim public spaces with their brash sound, political messages, and outrageous community oriented performances.
Seven Dates With Death
The story of Moreese Bickham, the oldest living survivor of Death Row in the United States. Bickham describes the murders that sent him to Death Row, his life on death row and how he was able to get on with his life after almost four decades in prison.
LA OPOSICION
LA OPOSICIÓN explores immigration policy under the new Trump administration. When officers for the Department of Homeland Security are ordered to aggressively monitor immigration targets in the USA, they start to question their own culpability in the new system.
Heterodox HDS
During her brief time in the police department, Jennifer Abelson a rookie police officer witnessed the deaths of two unarmed black boys just to result in no conviction of the officer involved. To improve police relations with African Americans, she decided to take action to put end to this practice at least in that part of the city.Directed, Written, and Produced by Michaux Muanda
Honor Council
After beating up the school bully with dildo nunchucks, Wren, who dresses as a girl from the waist down and a boy from the waist up, was put on trial with threat of expulsion. As he is tried by the honor council it becomes clear that the situation is not so black and white and that everyone must adjust see through different eyes to understand what is right.
Two Steps Back
Using the perspective of Derrick Bell, this short documentary providing an alternate and challenging perspective of the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision.
When Mother Goes to Work
Newark, NJ is one of the most dangerous inner-cities in the United States. Marked by a history of racism and segregation, people of Newark are heavily policed on a daily basis. In this film, three siblings from Newark have to find a way to spend time together in the absence of their mother who is away working three long shifts.
Born to Stay
Born To Stay is a documentary that follows Elvia, an American girl, high school senior, class leader, and head of the debate club who is terrified that her mother will be deported just like her dad. Elvia lives in an all-white community in Upstate New York, where she feels no one understands her situation, making her very outspoken. The film shows her tight relationship with her mother, her efforts to inform her peers during the election year and the impact the election results have on her family. The film is an intimate portrait of the fear a family with an undocumented parent is going through in a country where 4.5 million citizens are born in this situation.
Riverment
Active during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, Maureen was no stranger to racial injustices and traumatic events during her fight for equal rights. To cope with the trauma she's encountered during her days as an activist, Maureen spends her time at her favorite place of peace, the riverbank. Maureen's granddaughter, Tyna, has become a freedom fighter in her own right, tackling inequalities and discrimination occurring on her college campus. When Tyna decides to take her activism outside the proposed safe boundaries of school, Maureen fears for her granddaughter’s safety, and ultimately her sanity.
Crick in the Holler
During West Virginia's 2014 Elk River chemical spill, a first-generation college student charged with the care of her rebellious younger sister instead becomes consumed by an issue with their water supply.
Life After
“Life After” is about Nisha, a single mother and Indian immigrant, who travels to New York City to clear out her daughter Zara's apartment. Out of her element in the big city, Nisha discovers surprising new details about Zara. With help from her best friend and a stranger, Nisha uncovers the truth about her daughter’s life.
2024 Honorees
The March On! Awards were created to honor leaders across disciplines whose commitment to advancing civil rights is unwavering. Through their actions and with courage, they have ignited national conversations, compelled progress, and used their platforms as instruments for social justice and cultural change. As foot soldiers in the fight against injustice everywhere, we honor their work, commitment, and sustained efforts to continue the march forward.
2023 Recap
March on! 2023 Awards Gala
Hosted by Jonathan Capehart, this year we honored Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock and Reverend Al Sharpton for their visionary leadership in the fight for civil rights.
The Vivian Malone Courage Award: Honoring Michelle Browder
This year’s award was presented to Michelle Browder, American artist and activist known for her historical tours, murals and sculptures in Montgomery, particularly the Mothers of Gynecology Monument. This year’s Vivian Malone Courage award was a print of an original painting by award-winning abstract and figurative artist Avis Collins Robinson.
PulPits, Protests, & Power: Live Event
This year’s award was presented to Michelle Browder, American artist and activist known for her historical tours, murals and sculptures in Montgomery, particularly the Mothers of Gynecology Monument. This year’s Vivian Malone Courage award was a print of an original painting by award-winning abstract and figurative artist Avis Collins Robinson.
2023 Honorees
- March On! Lifetime Achievement Award
Reverend Al Sharpton
presented by Symone Sanders Townsend as the March On! Lifetime Achievement Award
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Senator Raphael Warnock
presented by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
2022 Recap
Opening Night Gala
With the theme of Story, Stage & Screen, the Festival’s annual awards Gala honored visionary leaders in the fight for civil rights – Congresswoman Barbara Lee, veteran Broadway publicist and producer Irene Gandy, and Tony Award-winning director and playwright George C. Wolfe.
Special guests Congressman James E. Clyburn, Broadway costume designer Emilio Sosa and famed actor Jeffrey Wright presented the awards to the honorees.
Hosted by Jonathan Capehart, Washington Post contributor and host of The Sunday Show on MSNBC, this highly anticipated event welcomed 300 leaders of industry, the media, and several members of Congress.
Signature Event: The Mississippi Defenders
They were few in number, with limited resources, and lost more cases than they won during the early years of the Civil Rights Movement. With the country’s conscience pricked by images of violence against marchers in the news, hundreds of lawyers from around the country became inspired to work in Mississippi…and ultimately transformed the state’s legal infrastructure.
This timely discussion featured a panel of distinguished voices including Rashad Robinson, Color of Change; Derrick Johnson, President, NAACP; Vangela Wade, President, Mississippi Center for Justice; and Roderick Red, filmmaker, and was moderated by legal scholar Paul D. Butler, attorney and Albert Brick Professor in Law, Georgetown University Law Center.
A dynamic performance by Ms. Rutha Mae Harris, original member of the SNCC Freedom Singers, accompanied by members of Dream Launchers followed the panel.
March on the World: Acting While Black on French Screens
American audiences may know French actor Omar Sy from his star turn in the Netflix series, Lupin. But he’s not the only African actor on French screens. Unfortunately, racially stereotypical roles, underdeveloped storylines still indicate that “French Cinema is a dinosaur refusing to die or change.”
A panel of French and American advocates in the cinema of the African diaspora shared their insights on the movement of African French actors, directors, journalists and activists who are seeking to change the faces and stories portrayed on French screens. Panelists: Rokhaya Diallo, journalist, Washington Post Opinion Writer and filmmaker, Steps Toward Liberty, Not Your Mama’s Movement); Dr. Imani Cheers, Associate Professor, Media and Public Affairs, George Washington University.
Moderator: Maboula Soumahoro, author, Afro-feminist, and Associate Professor, English, University of Tours, France.
The State of American Theater - Executives’ Roundtable
In 2020, diverse members of the American theater community published “We See You, White American Theater,” a clarion call listing principles for building anti-rascist theaters nationwide. Culminating a festival devoted to Story, Stage & Screen, our Closing Event presented a stimulating roundtable conversation on culture, community and representation with the guiding creative and administrative lights of some of America’s most prominent regional theaters.
Panelists: Kamilah Forbes, Executive Producer, Apollo Theater, Harlem, NY; Maria Manuela Goyanes, Artistic Director, Wooly Mammoth Theater, Washington, D.C.; Jamil Jude, Artistic Director, Kenny Leon’s True Colors Theatre, Atlanta, GA; Molly Smith, Artistic Director, Arena Stage, Washington, D.C.; and Nikkole Salter, Chair, Dept. of Theatre Arts, Howard University,
Moderator: Donna Walker-Kuhne, writer (Invitation to the Party), educator, community engagement strategist, and founder, Walker International Communications Group
2022 Honorees
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Irene Gandy
presented by Emilio Sosa
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
George C. Wolfe
presented by Jeffrey Wright
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
presented by Congressman Jim Clyburn
2021 Recap
A TRIBUTE TO FRED GRAY
Celebrates the career of Civil Rights attorney, strategist,and former AL representative Fred Gray, featuring Claudette Colvin, Montgomery Bus Boycott pioneer; Hon. Doug Jones, former U.S. Senator, AL; and Taylor Branch, Pulitzer-Prize winning historian. With political analyst and television commentator Jamal Simmons as moderator.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PAULI MURRAY
Profiles the late non-binary activist, strategist, legal scholar, poet, first African American woman Episcopalian priest, and co-founder of the National Organization for Women. With presenters Dr. Nii-Quartelai Quartey, AARP Senior Advisor & National LGBTQ Liaison; Rev. Canon Kelly Brown Douglas, Washington National Cathedral; and Dr. Janet Dewart Bell, author.
ONE ON ONE WITH LITTLE MISS FLINT
Flint, Michigan water activist Mari Copeny, joins Naomi Wadler, youngest speaker at the 2018 March for Our Lives in a conversation on the impact national front line organizing has had on their young lives.
CLIMATE DEFENDERS AT WORK IN THE HALLS OF GOVERNMENT
Representatives from the Clinton, Obama and Biden administrations discuss the effects of environmental racism and the need for parity in the ongoing climate change crisis.
Panelists: Rosemary Enobakhare, U.S. EPA Office of the Administrator; Brandi Colander, DC Green Bank; Diane Dillon-Ridgley, Environmental and Human Rights Activist. With Special Guest: Michael S. Regan, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and moderator: Danielle Deane-Ryan, Jade Advisor.
HOW TO BE A CITIZEN JOURNALIST
Join 19-year-old climate change activist Jerome Foster II as he shares tips and tools for researching, interviewing, writing and pitching timely stories for publication. Foster is Co-founder and Editor of the digital news service Climate Reporter, and is the youngest member of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council.
YOUNG ACTIVISTS ROUNDTABLE
Gen Z activists Isra Hirsi, (Youth Climate Strike and 2020 Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Government and Politics List) and Jerome Foster II (OneMillionOfUs, and The Climate Reporter) talk with Koralie Barrau, (Producer, BBC News) on what drives them to action, how they organize, what obstacles they face, and how they stay committed.
2021 Honorees
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Donors of Color Network
presented by Reggie Van Lee
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Sam Pollard
presented by Judy Richardson
- March On Lifetime Achievement Award
Congressman James Clyburn
presented by Lauren Underwood