Great article featuring Chris and his book “Tomlinson Hill” at Monday’s screening at Baylor at 6:30 pm: http://t.co/SNVbveQpPy.
Great article featuring Chris and his book “Tomlinson Hill” at Monday’s screening at Baylor at 6:30 pm: http://t.co/SNVbveQpPy.
Thanks Stephen Sloan, our project advisor, champion and archivist of the oral histories captured to make Tomlinson Hill; hugely important in their own right, made even more so with the passing of three of the project participants. They are the last voices of this history…
http://www.baylor.edu/mediacommunications/news.php?action=story&story=133178
Looking forward to connecting with other women filmmakers tonight at the Dallas Women in Film Spotlight Series, where I’ll be talking about Tomlinson Hill. If you are a WIFD member, registration is free. Come on by! http://www.wifdallas.org/Default.aspx?pageId=947407&eventId=755065&EventViewMode=EventDetails
Women in Film/Dallas will be screening TOMLINSON HILL on September 11, 7 pm, with a Q&A afterwards.
The screening will be at the Studio Movie Grill on Spring Valley Rd.; the registration/sign-in desk will open at 6:15 pm, and the film will begin at 7. Tickets for $8 for guests and $5 for all students with a valid I.D. — all proceeds go to our Education scholarships and grants for local women filmmakers and students.
You can find out more and register to see the film here:
http://www.wifdallas.org/Default.aspx?pageId=947407&eventId=747345&EventViewMode=EventDetails
For those of you who ordered in June, thanks for your patience! It felt good to finally be able to get these authored and shipped out. And to the Kickstarter supporters who have waited so long, yours are on the way too! I do love hearing your feedback, so please, don’t hesitate to email me with your thoughts, concerns, or issues. Here’s one that made my day yesterday:
“My family history does not include slave ownership. Our descendants were poor. That history does, however, include both subtle and outright racist moments. Your documentary stirred uneasy and dormant memories of my childhood and upbringing in Texas. Watching and reflecting on both the documentary and those memories remind me that I may need to take a more active roll in being a better citizen and friend to those who don’t look like me.
This will be mandatory viewing for my children. Thank you for helping to create both an internal and external dialogue that I hope will bring change.”
I was initially disappointed that I’d be away during all of the June broadcasts of Tomlinson Hill, but in retrospect it was really interesting to get the feedback from afar. I’ll share a couple here:
“It was a fascinating piece, and I learned a lot about Texas history and the ongoing problems with segregation. I grew up in a big city – Dallas – but certainly remember “colored” and “white” water fountains and restrooms at department stores in downtown Dallas and many other instances of segregation during that time. Although my Dad was the son of tenant farmers in deep South Alabama, I have always been grateful that neither my Dad or my Mom (from New York) never showed any racial bias of any kind. People were just people. I am still shocked and saddened today by the bias that exists, and most certainly in Texas. ”
“Not over yet, but this seems the most engaging (too soft a word) doc on TX and maybe the South in a long while.”
Feel free to Email Me your comments, good or bad. The purpose of this work is always to spark dialogue.
Tonight my hometown PBS station, KLRU, will broadcast “Tomlinson Hill” for Juneteenth, the Texas holiday marking the day in 1865 when a Union general ordered the emancipation of Texas slaves. One reason for airing the film on this day is a section of the film where we visit the Marlin Juneteenth parade in 2009.
Our filming that day taught me how little I know about rural, African American life. The community organized a meager, but enthusiastic parade that began at one of the oldest churches on Commerce Street, turned west on Live Oak, the main thoroughfare, and looped in front of the theater and returned to the church. Black men rode horses and motorcycles, women dressed in 19th century dresses and a trailer carried a float depicting a cotton field and a shanty. On the back, a poster read “From the Out House to the White House, Obama!”
Afterward, I attended Juneteenth services and heard amazing sermons about how far African Americans have come since 1865, but more importantly, how the community must work harder to overcome the problems from within, including drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and the high school drop-out rate.
As part of our filming, we stopped and interviewed people on Marlin’s downtown sidewalks about what Juneteenth meant to them. African Americans called it their Fourth of July, the day their ancestors became free. White citizens, though, said the holiday had nothing to do with them; that it was a “black” celebration and it meant nothing to them.
Lisa Kaselak, the director, and I walked down to Friendly Corner, a remnant of Wood Street, a legendary stretch of African American juke joints and cafes razed in the 1990s. Friendly Corner is where a group of black men talk, drink and play dominoes most everyday. I got into a discussion with a man who said that white society still didn’t recognize the historic significance of emancipation. I replied something to the effect of, “You have a holiday for it,” and he immediately called me out.
“It’s not my holiday, or my people’s holiday,” he said. “The problem is people like you don’t see that it should be a holiday for all of us.”
As soon as he said it, I felt ashamed that I, someone who prides himself on cultural awareness, would make such a profound mistake. Juneteenth not only marks the day that the last of the Confederate state slaves gained their freedom, but it was the day that America took a profound step toward living up to its founding principles. Juneteenth marks the moment America reversed its original sin of declaring that white man could own a black man, who counted as only three-fifths of a human. This was a day that I should celebrate as an important step in my nation fulfilling its potential.
Many, many television stations are broadcasting “Tomlinson Hill” tonight, including KLRU here in Austin. I hope that viewers across the country who do not know about Juneteenth will learn more about it, and recognize it not as just a “black holiday” but an important step in our journey to form a more perfect union.
Chris Tomlinson
Today’s a good day to take a small vacation thanks to Kristin Fellows, our amazing PBS station relations rep! After nearly four years of working on this project – a fascinating journey – I’m getting married and will be on my honeymoon for the next three weeks. I look forward to all the wonderful discussion and feedback on my return. Have a wonderful June and I hope you all enjoy Tomlinson Hill.
Exciting to know how much of the country will see and hear this story. Check back regularly for new air dates; they are being added daily!
