400 Years Later...'Free-ish - Part 4: Monuments That Heal (2021)

The four-part documentary HBCU Storytellers film series, 400 Years Later...'free-ish, explores the 400-year commemoration of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia in late August 1619. The films capture this epic milestone through the journey of fifteen HBCU students as they explore past and present race relations in the birthplace of American slavery. The documentaries follow the students in their efforts to promote racial healing and reconciliation as they grapple with Virginia's contentious history and the racial issues these monuments present. In Part 4: Monuments That Heal, focuses on current issues surrounding the Emancipation Proclamation Freedom Monument, which will be erected in Virginia in 2019. Four leaders from the MLK Commission that spearheaded this historic project, Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Sen Mami Locke, Delegate Delores McQuinn and Professor Lauranette Lee will be highlighted as they view a replica of the Emancipation Proclamation Freedom Monument in the Valentine Museum and explain the process of moving this initiative forward and its significance to racial healing. This film also explores the issues surrounding the monuments most controversial figure being honored, Nat Turner, through interviews with various community stakeholders including grassroots community leader, Khalifa Khalifa who provides insight into Turner's legacy.