Alexandria Black History Museum Offers African History Film Series

The Alexandria Black History Museum is showing "Movies with a Mission" this fall through a partnership with SankofaSpirit.

The screenings will be held at 4:30 p.m. on the second Saturday of each month from Sept. 10 through Dec. 10, at the museum, 902 Wythe Street.

“Movies with a Mission” are free monthly films about Africa and the African Diaspora that seek to inform and inspire dialogue.

Founded in 2002, Atlanta-based SankofaSpirit provides cultural and educational programs and services focusing on Africa and the African Diaspora.

Screenings will be followed by a discussion and gallery walk. Reservations are requested. For more information or to make a reservation, call 703-746-4356. The following films will be offered:

September 10 – “The Will to Survive”

Directed by Al Hawkins, “The Will to Survive: The Story of the Gullah/Geechee Nation” focuses on the last remaining intact Geechee community of Hog Hammock in Sapelo Island, Georgia. Island villagers struggle to preserve their African culture and American property rights. (60 minutes)

October 8 – “From Florida to Coahuila” This film from Rafael Rebollar Corona explores the African legacy in Mexico by focusing on Africans who escaped from slavery in the United States and made their way to the Spanish colony of Florida. (50 minutes)

November 12 – “Standing on My Sisters’ Shoulders”

This documentary reveals the movement in Mississippi in the 1950s and ’60s from the point of view of the courageous women who lived it – and emerged as its grassroots leaders. Interviews and archival footage weave a story of commitment, passion and perseverance and tells the story of the women who fought for change in Mississippi and altered the course of American history forever. (60 minutes)

December 10 – “The Black Candle: A Kwanzaa Celebration”

This landmark, vibrant documentary from M.K. Asante uses Kwanzaa as a vehicle to explore and celebrate the African-American experience. Filmed across the United States, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean, “The Black Candle” is a timely illumination on why the seven principles of Kwanzaa are so important to African Americans today. (71 minutes)