06/18/2026
The ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ will host two events on ๐๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐. Both are free to attend and open to the public. ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐ญ ๐:๐๐ ๐ฉ.๐ฆ.โฃ
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๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ซ/๐๐ข๐ซ๐๐๐ญ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ will screen one of the films from her documentary series, ๐๐๐ง๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐๐๐ญ. The film is titled ๐๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด, and explores the stories of โboth African Americans and a small group of little-known white allies who fought for racial justice during the Civil Rights Movement.โ The series features writers, historians, civil rights icons, and descendants of both slave holders and slaves. Powell warns that the documentary film is ๐ง๐จ๐ญ ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ข๐ญ๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ก๐ข๐ฅ๐๐ซ๐๐ง ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐ข๐ฌ ๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ง๐ญ.โฃ
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Powell, a graduate of Birmingham-Southern College, spent 32 years on the staff at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in a career that encompassed work as a feature writer, university magazine editor, and director of publications and periodicals. She has produced biographical films and short films. She founded the Bending the Arc Project in 2015 to document the struggle against racism in Alabama through storytelling. She has completed two films in this series, ๐๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ฐ๐ต๐ฆ. A third, ๐๐ณ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐๐ฑ ๐๐ฆ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ, is in production. โฃ
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The beginning of ๐๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด starts at ๐ ๐ฉ.๐ฆ. and runs about one and a half hours. A discussion will follow. The late J. Mason Davis, a Birmingham attorney who began to take on civil rights cases in the turbulent era of the 1960s and who relates his experiences in this film series, said in a later interview for a forthcoming book by T.K. Thorne, that the teaching of history must include the truth about slavery, the Reconstruction Era, and the Jim Crow oppression that followed. โOnly by understanding these chapters can we appreciate the significance of laws that protect against tyranny.โโฃ
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Prior to the filmโs showing, beginning at ๐:๐๐ ๐ฉ.๐ฆ., ๐๐ก๐๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ญ๐๐ซ will discuss her remarkable journey from childhood abuse to healing through her belief in the power of God. Sumter, a native of Jamaica and now a resident of Blount County, has authored three childrenโs books to help them and their parents to, she says, โbring about positive reinforcement through the word of God so they can become who God made them to be.โ Sumter says her โmission is to uplift individuals of all ages, helping them recognize their God-given identity, unlock their potential, and pursue excellence in every area of life.โ She strives to accomplish this, not only through her writing, but as a singer and song writer, as well.โฃ
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Her books will be on hand to purchase at the museum or can be bought on her website, books.by/shermaine.โฃ
RSVP is encouraged but not required. T๐จ ๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ง๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐๐ญ ๐๐๐-๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐.โฃ
