The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture joins a nationwide initiative to bring four films on civil rights history to Little Rock in order to guide public conversations about the changing meanings of freedom and equality in U.S. history.

The center was awarded a grant last year by the National Endowment for the Humanities as part of the Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle project which marked the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.

CAHC will launch its year-long film series during Black History Month at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, with the documentary, The Abolitionists, at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center. Dr. Carl Moneyhon of the UALR History Department will moderate the discussion.

The center has partnered with the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site to select a variety of locations for the screenings of the four documentaries which feature riveting footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America. In addition, professors from the UALR History Department will guide public discussions following each film.

“These films chronicle the long and sometimes violent effort to achieve the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness—for all Americans,” said CAHC Associate Provost Deborah Baldwin, Ph.D.

“We are pleased to receive a grant from NEH to provide programming around these films.”

The Created Equal programming, which also includes the films Slavery by Another Name, Freedom Riders, and The Loving Story, will highlight dramatic scenes of incidents in the more than 150 years since the Emancipation Proclamation.

Freedom Riders received an Emmy in 2012; The Loving Story and The Abolitionists were nominated for Emmys in 2013.

Each of the films was produced with NEH support, and tells remarkable stories of individuals who challenged the social and legal status quo of deeply rooted institutions, from slavery to segregation.

Organizers say the goal of the Created Equal initiative is to bring communities together to revisit the shared history of all Americans and help bridge deep racial and cultural divides in American civic life.

The Created Equal film set and public programs have been made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

For more information, go to ualr.edu/cahc/createdequal.

Additional dates for future film screenings:

Slavery by Another Name
Tuesday, March 11 · 6 p.m.
Market Street Cinema
Moderator: James Ross, Ph.D.

The Loving Story
Tuesday, Oct. 21 · 6 p.m.
Ron Robinson Theater
Moderator: Barclay Key, Ph.D.

Freedom Riders
Tuesday, Nov. 18 · 4 p.m.
Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall at UALR
Moderator: John Kirk, Ph.D., Donaghey Professor and Chair

About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit organization that promotes excellence in the teaching and learning of American history. Programs include publications, teacher seminars, a national Affiliate School Program, traveling exhibitions, and online materials for teachers, students, and the general public.

About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and bring ideas to life through public television, radio, museum exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places.