Screening: Sisters in Freedom

The event entails a 60 minute film screening of Sisters in Freedom including a 30 minute panel discussion.  

Sisters in Freedom reveals the extraordinary story of the black and white women who created America’s first organized female political force, and their daring battle to end slavery. It’s the 1830s. Slavery in the South is increasing rapidly; fugitive slave laws are tightening, and so are the rules that govern women in the public sphere. Yet in Philadelphia, Lucretia Mott, Sarah Mapps Douglass, Harriet Forten Purvis and Angelina and Sarah Grimké lead an effort that inspires millions of Americans to petition Congress for the abolition of slavery, persisting despite a vicious backlash to the abolition movement. The documentary shows how the resistance work of these pioneering women provided a bold model for the women’s rights movement that is flourishing today. 

On-Campus film presented by "A History Making," whose mission is to expand the shared understanding of the past by producing thoughtful and engaging films for broad audiences. Their work includes a Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award winning 13-part documentary series about the history of Philadelphia, Philadelphia: The Great Experiment, and the 2017 award-winning film, Before Hollywood: Philadelphia and the Birth of the Movies.