About the Film
won’t you celebrate with me
what i have shaped into
a kind of life? i had no model.
born in babylon
both nonwhite and woman
what did i see to be except myself?
i made it up
here on this bridge between
starshine and clay,
my one hand holding tight
my other hand; come celebrate
with me that everyday
something has tried to kill me
and has failed.
"won't you celebrate with me" - Lucille Clifton (1936-2010)
"Won't You Celebrate with Me," takes the viewer on a journey through some of the most sacred sites of African American civil rights heritage. The narrative voice of the film is poet Lucille Clifton's reading of her 1991 poem, "won't you celebrate with me." The poem, which was orginially written during the 1960s at the height of the Black Freedom struggle, speaks of strength and resilence, the speaker enouraging the reader to celebrate with her despite all that she has experienced as someone "born in Babylon/both nonwhite and woman." Here, Babylon serves as a metaphor for the U.S., and the speaker is part of a community which has been exiled from their orginal homeland and metaphoricaly exiled from accessing the "American Dream."
In the face of great peril to themselves and thier loved ones, Black Americans fought against a racist system that sought to subjugate them through punitive laws and local custom, and in the process they not only endured but survived: "come celebrate with me that everyday/something has tried to kill me/and has failed."
The film also features The Golden Gospel singers rendition of "Oh, Freedom!" a postbellum freedom song made popular again during the civil rights movement by singer and activist Odetta. The song, combined with Clifton's reading of "won't you celebrate with me," will resonate with viewers and give them a deeper understanding of the sacrifice mades by those who envisioned and fought for a more just future.
The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the civil rights movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. civil rights movement through a collection of public and private resources.
Photo by Ted Tucker, Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau
Featured Sites
- Medgar and Myrlier Evers National Monument
- Little Rock High School National Historic Site
- Freedom Riders National Monument
- Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
- Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Monument
- Rosie the Riveter WWII National Historical Park
- Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
- John Hope Franklin Reconciliation Park
- Anacostia Park
Courtesy of Madler Media
Interview with Mike Mintz, Madler Media
Learn more about how "Won't You Celebrate with Me" came to be through an interview with filmmaker, Mike Mintz.
How did you get interested in filmmaking? What connected you to this project in particular?
As a kid I was always obsessed with movies. When I ended up attending a very small university abroad, I was fortunate enough to take advantage of the staff and resources there to fully explore the technical and creative side of filmmaking, and I was immediately hooked. Since then I’ve been most lucky and privileged to make a career out of the craft.
Like so many in this country, my formal education on civil rights was severely stunted. Something like: “Rosa Parks didn’t move seats, MLK had a dream, and then justice triumphed.” More light is now being shed on the complex and sustained struggle of BIPOC in this country, but I know my own education will be perpetually incomplete.
Working on the AACRN video was an opportunity to lean into that and ultimately learn and experience these sites - not only for a potential viewer’s discovery, but for my own as well. I loved that this project aimed to shift the focus away from the most famous sites - like the Lincoln Memorial and and Pettus Bridge - and towards places and people that are equally as important but receive less attention for whatever reason. Discovering and learning about these sites was a way to broaden my perspective and knowledge about the history and the present.
So I jumped at the chance to dive in and capture these sites and the Civil Rights history that surrounds them. It was a great privilege to facilitate the visions of Porsha, Kelly, Turkiya and the rest of the AACRN team and to have had this experience.
What was your favorite site to visit?
It’s a tossup between Little Rock Central High School and Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Both shoots were special and transcendent, and felt very connected (as you’ll see below) and they’re both testaments to the living history of Civil Rights, as both remain fully functioning and important institutions.
At the High School, I got to work with a wonderful young actress named Ana Brandon, who is a local high school student herself. She did a stellar job reenacting Elizabeth Eckford’s famous walk to school, but it was also great to feature her as a student and to be able to draw a connection between the past and present through her. Additionally Toni Phinisey-Webber gave a phenomenal and meaningful tour of the school, which still retains its original decor, and might be the biggest school I’ve ever seen!
The Church was equally moving. My arrival coincided with that of a couple who were traveling from Atlanta back home to Little Rock and decided to make a detour to pay their respects. She’s a schoolteacher in Little Rock and was visibly moved just by being there. I was delighted to feature her and her husband standing on the steps of the church. I was very humbled to have Pastor Price give me a personal tour of the church, who highlighted the details both inside and outside that related to the bombing, but also the perspectives of the building that continue to uplift.
What do you want people to feel when they watch the video?
Between Lucille Clifton’s poem, the iconic song “Oh Freedom”, the original 8mm footage and the portraits, I want people to feel connected to the people that make these sites living, breathing pieces of history and a unified tribute to the unparalleled, iconic and ever-evolving struggle by the Black community for their Civil Rights. Ultimately, I really hope that viewers leave the video feeling inspired, intrigued and motivated to see the sites for themselves!
Last updated: January 7, 2022