Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Historically Black Colleges and Universities — a documentary that chronicles the history of Historically Black College and Universities (HBCUs) — was well-received when it showed at the Montclair Film Festival on Friday night.
In our current climate — one in which the Secretary of Education wrongly called HBCUs “pioneers of school choice” and the President is questioning the Constitutionality of federal funding for Black colleges — it seems this film comes at a crucial time.
The strength of Stanley Nelson’s film, lies in the origin story. Using historic documents and photos, the film gives a comprehensive lesson of the struggle of Black people in a Post-Civil War America to get an education and the path that would lead to higher education for a people who were once denied the right to read.
