By D. Kevin McNeir
Special to the AFRO
kmcneir@afro.com
D.C.’s annual Civil Rights Legacy Project, rebranded in 2024 as “March On!,” kicked off their film festival on Monday, Sept. 15 in the nation’s capital. For six days, film screenings will take place alongside an emerging and student filmmaker competition, various award ceremonies, performances of the arts, exhibits and panel discussions featuring filmmakers, academics and first-person accounts from activists.
Under the theme, “March On! Health: The Right to Be Well,” this year’s festival is led by artistic director, Isisara Bey, an award-winning news writer and producer, and former on-air personality and executive at Sony Pictures and Sony Entertainment.
Bey spoke with the AFRO and highlighted significant changes from previous years from expanding into a year-round arts platform to rebranding the festival.
“In 2024, we transformed the festival with a refreshed visual identity and redesigned website while continuing what our supporters and patrons have come to expect – sharing untold stories and historical events of record from the Civil Rights Movement that connect to contemporary issues,” she said. “It’s important to understand that the Civil Rights Movement was more than an isolated period in American history but rather a continuous, ongoing movement. So, it still has relevance, not only for Blacks but for all Americans.”
Bey said expanding the festival’s platform and integrating today’s technology including social media and online access was done with today’s younger generation in mind.
“When youth–and even adults under 40–suggest that the Civil Rights Movement has little to do with their lives today, or their future, we challenge them to take a closer look at the conversations, films and other programs which are available because of March On!,” she said.
“Often overlooked or unknown is the fact that many of the prominent voices and participants within both Dr. King’s movement and the Black Panthers were barely out of college themselves when they became involved,” continued Bey. “They risked their lives and their freedom for causes in which they believed – causes which in many cases were the impetus for other freedom movements here in the U.S. and across the globe.”
Programming featured this year addresses a wide range of social justice issues, while also shining a light on health – not just as personal wellness, but as a fundamental civil and human right rooted in justice, equity and access.
Bey posited that the stories that are told and who tells them often shape societal norms and the ways in which we interact with others, particularly those who may be different from one another.
“We are living in a time when people are being oppressed because of race, gender, sexual orientation, language – you name it,” Bey said. “Some are even afraid to gather in public or walk the streets because of their ethnic heritage. But all Americans have a right to be well and to hold various perspectives.”
According to the March On! website, the use of multimedia – film, performing, and visual – serves as a powerful means to encourage all participants and to bring to life stories of both icons and foot soldiers from the Civil Rights Movement.
“When we educate and make people aware of our shared history and teach that each person can have an impact on bending the moral arc of the universe towards justice, we realize how similar we are to one another, empower each other to build stronger and more cohesive communities and bridge the persistent divide between generations and different lived experiences,” the website said in the organization’s mission statement.
A myriad of creative events await
Events for the festival will be held at various locations throughout D.C. with others available online. Highlighted events include the following:
“Critical Condition: Health in Black America,” Thursday, Sept. 18, will be shown at Howard University Hospital, Towers Auditorium. This eye-opening conversation will feature clips from the powerful NOVA and Firelight Films documentary by filmmaker Stanley Nelson. It investigates why Black Americans are nearly twice as likely to suffer from high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease — and why their life expectancy is five years shorter than White Americans—despite no meaningful genetic differences between races.
Featured voices from the film will discuss its themes and the pressing realities of health and equity today, exploring how pseudoscientific myths about race continue to influence medicine and how the lived experience of discrimination impacts the health of Black Americans. This session connects history, science, and lived reality, offering an urgent dialogue on health equity and justice. The full film is available to stream for free on PBS.
The “Albany Road” film screening, followed by a Truth and Relationships Town Hall, will take place Friday, Sept. 19, at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts. Presented through support from The Black Leadership AIDS, this film follows Celeste as she prepares for an important work trip, only to find herself sharing a tense car ride with her ex-fiancé’s mother, Paula. After the film, there will be a community dialogue on improving how we share our lives and thoughts with the people we love.
The Vivian Malone Courage Award, on Saturday, Sept. 20, will be presented by Dr. Sharon Malone to Joy-Ann Reid, in conversation with Eric Holder at Metropolitan AME Church.
The beloved Dark Tower Day Party, a Harlem Renaissance–inspired afternoon, will take place on Sunday, September 21, blending music, spoken word, dance and special guest speaker A’Lelia Bundles.
Bey said attending the Festival or by taking advantage of its many offerings online serve as a great way for people of all races, ages and perspectives to learn more about the ongoing relevance of the Civil Rights Movement.
“Whether it’s through music, spoken word, speeches, forums, films, or dance, March On! is an effective way to teach “it” – that is, Black history – to the world,” she said. “And it’s done in ways that will particularly resonate with African Americans.”
For more information or tickets, visit www.marchonfest.org/festival.
