WILEY COLLEGE PREMIERES FILM ON CIVIL RIGHTS HERO
Documentary Details Triumph and Tragedy of Leader James L. Farmer
Dallas, TX –– Dallas-based AMS Pictures is pleased to premiere its most recent documentary, The Good Fight: James Farmer Remembers the Civil Rights Movement, at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, on Thursday, February 11.
The film will screen at the Freeman P. and Carrie E. Hodge Center at 7 PM, followed by a Q&A with producer Laura Neitzel and Marshall historian Gail Beil. The documentary includes footage of the Wiley campus, and appearances by local actors, including George Johnson, Tristan and Tanner Branch, Alan Wright, and Derek Ramon Davis. It also includes several folk songs from the civil rights movement recorded by the Wiley College Choir and Director Stephen Hayes.
The Good Fight details the life of a significant yet little-known civil rights leader, James L. Farmer, who attended Wiley College at the age of 14 and was a member of the famed debate team that was featured in the 2007 film The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. Using audio recordings of Farmer’s lectures on the civil rights movement and rare archival footage, the film elaborates on the public triumphs and personal tragedies of the civil rights leader who is credited with organizing some of the county’s first sit-ins and the Freedom Rides, a series of bus rides through the Deep South that were instrumental in turning the nation’s attention to the civil rights movement.
“Farmer had a booming voice and was a magnificent speaker, debater, and storyteller,” says director Jessica Schoenbaechler. “Hearing James Farmer tell his own story in his own words and voice is an amazing privilege, and I am eager to share that story with the world.”
The son of the first black Ph.D. in Texas, theologian and professor James Farmer Sr, Farmer grew up amongst the intellectual elite of Wiley College and became known as one of the “Great Debaters,” a debate team that rose to fame after defeating the all-white reigning champions.
“Marshall re-discovered James Farmer, Jr. when journalist Bill Moyers interviewed him in 1983. Since then a street has been named for both him and his father, and, with the release of these recent films, Wiley College enrollment has increased and the economic and intellectual impact is being felt everywhere,” says Marshall historian Gail Beil, who participated in the film.
As one of the founders of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), Farmer employed his dynamic debate skills to speak out against World War II, a racially-intolerant church, Malcolm X, the Kennedy administration, and countless acts of bigotry and racism that plagued the country. He was one of the first civil rights activists to use nonviolent direct action, inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, to fight for dignity and justice. However, the demands of public life and activism took a toll on Farmer and his family. His family suffered from his frequent absences, prison stays, and threats made on his life, and he was continually disappointed in his lack of recognition, especially after witnessing the momentous legacy of Martin Luther King, a man ten years his junior.
“So few people have ever heard of James Farmer, yet his early influence on the civil rights movement determined much of its later direction,” said Andy Streitfeld, Executive Producer. “This is the only film account of Farmer’s life from his earliest days as a “Great Debater” to his legacy teaching a new generation of students about the movement that shaped a country.”
"Once again, AMS Pictures has captured a piece of American history with the release of this thought-provoking film about the life and contributions of Marshall's defiant son, James Farmer Jr.," said Wiley College Vice President Dr. Joseph Morale. "Jessica Schoenbaechler should be very proud of this significant and important film!"
AMS Pictures is North Texas’ premier provider of communications and creative storytelling. The Original Programming division has produced over 200 hours of high-definition, non-fiction entertainment, including television projects geared toward lifestyle and entertainment networks. The Good Fight is the eighth documentary in the Black History Uncovered series and follows The Real Great Debaters of Wiley College, the 2008 documentary that unveiled the real story behind the critically acclaimed Hollywood film.
