View documentaries highlighting Black and Jewish American experiences in Wilmington, WWII and beyond at special screenings in the Mitchell Theater.
February 1 Restless Ground: The Untold Story of Mt. Olive (2024) produced by New Castle County – tells the story of racial segregation through the removal of burial yards from downtown Wilmington to Mt. Olive Cemetery in the early 1900’s.
February 1 Return to Hockessin Colored School No. 107C (2024) produced by New Castle County – highlights the Hockessin Colored School’s important place in U.S. history and the effort to save and restore the school after it’s closure.
February 8 – Inside Buffalo: They Served America When America Was Not Ready to Serve Them (2010), directed by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu undoubtedly qualifies as one of the most excellently produced documentaries that clearly and articulately brings out the wonderful story of the 92nd Buffalo division. The 92nd Buffalo division was a combat unit that was firstly all African-American and therefore largely segregated because that was the order of the day, particularly during WWII. Nevertheless, despite the segregation, the unit fought with what was classified as outstanding heroism in Italy during the height of World War II.
February 15 – From Swastika to Jim Crow (2000), directed by Lori Cheatle – traces the story of Jewish intellectuals who escaped Nazi Germany only to find anti-Semitism at major U.S. universities. Many secured positions at black colleges in the South, and ultimately impacted the civil rights movement.
February 22 – The Six Triple Eight: No Mail, Low Morale (2019), directed by James Theres, tells the story of the only all-black female Women’s Army Corps (WACs) battalion to serve overseas during WWII. In February 1945, the U.S. Army sent 855 black women from the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) to England and France to clear the backlog of mail in the European Theater of Operations. Confronted with racism and sexism from their own leadership and troops, they served with honor and distinction completing their mission in six months. By war’s end, the Six Triple Eight had cleared over 17 million pieces of backlogged mail ensuring the troops stayed in touch with their loved ones back home