See ACRP's Documentary at the Alexandria Film Festival
Resolved: Never Again
November 8, 2024
Alexandria Film Festival
Beatley Library
Tickets will be available on the Festival website.
https://alexfilmfest.com/
ACRP's Documentary
Resolved: Never Again is a poignant documentary by award-winning filmmaker Robin Hamilton.
The 50-minute film traces Alexandria’s journey from its establishment in 1749, through its role as a major hub for the domestic slave trade, to the lynchings of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas, and finally to present-day efforts to confront this past. The documentary features interviews with Alexandria’s leaders, including Mayor Justin Wilson, former Police Chief Don Hayes, and Sheriff Sean Casey, as well as descendants of Joseph McCoy.
The debut took place on Saturday, Sept. 21, the second anniversary of the soil collection for Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas.
“This film is a testament to the power of truth-telling and the willingness to acknowledge the good and the bad in our shared history,” said Gretchen Bulova, Director of the Office of Historic Alexandria and co-chair of ACRP.
“Until ACRP was founded in 2019, too many Alexandrians didn’t know about broad sections of our history, such as the lynchings of two teenaged Black Alexandrians in 1897 and 1899,” said Audrey Davis, who heads up the Division of African American History and co-chairs ACRP.
In the film, Mayor Justin Wilson, former Police Chief Don Hayes and Sheriff Sean Casey talk about the importance of taking responsibility for this past, while Joseph McCoy descendant Debra White shares what it was like for her family to learn about their connection to this history.
“The subject matter is tough, but it also opens the door to healing, learning and reconciliation,” said Hamilton, whose film also explores the impact the Equal Justice Initiative’s Remembrance Movement has had on the Alexandria community. Through ACRP, city residents have erected historic markers, held a soil collection, and brought 165 Alexandrians, including Alexandria City High School students on a pilgrimage to EJI’s museum and memorials in Montgomery, Alabama.
“The work we have done to date has established a multigenerational group of Alexandrians who are having hard conversations. We hope the film will inspire more dialogue and actions that bring Alexandrians together in this way,” said Bulova.
Hamilton agreed, adding, “Confronting difficult moments in history helps all of us.”
Learn about the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project
Film Debut: Photo Gallery
Resolved: Never Again premiered on September 21, 2024 at the George Washington Masonic National Memorial. Robin Hamilton and ARound Robin Productions created a 50 minute film that acknowledges devastating past injustices and racial hatred from this city's history, while also telling the contemporary story of citizen activists, students, teachers, city officials and descendants who have come together to change Alexandria.
A Special Reception, with Hamilton, was held before the screening. Funds raised at the event will help support the ongoing work of the Alexandria Community Remembrance Project.
The debut was held on the second anniversary of the day hundreds of Alexandrians gathered for a soil collection in honor of Joseph McCoy and Benjamin Thomas, lynched in this city in 1897 and 1899.
