Beginning as an internationally acclaimed documentary about the contributions and experiences of Black women at the University of South Carolina since desegregation in 1963, Hannah White, Lyric Swinton, & Kendric Lindsey have joined together again to expand The Backbone to localize, contextualize, and mobilize the history of our communities to inspire positive change.
This collaborative will shed light on how Black women have been at the forefront of breaking glass ceilings throughout the history of South Carolina and the United States. Whether it was Henrie Montieth Treadwell integrating the University of South Carolina in 1963 or the advocacy of the Win With Black Women coalition to demand the safe return of Brittney Griner from Russian custody, as the saying says, if you want something done right, let a Black woman do it.
Though our efforts started as a love letter to the impact of Black women in our lives and on our alma mater, we know that we are in a crucial time in our nation’s history where we have the power to make a difference for all demographics, particularly Generation Z. In our fairly short lifetimes, our generation has lived through terrorist attacks, school shootings, police-sanctioned violence, record economic inflation, and a rapidly progressing digital & social media landscape. Many may say “My voice doesn’t matter” or “I’m just one person. How can I make a difference?”. The Backbone’s mission is to serve as a storytelling entity to spark transformative social & civic action through an inclusive historical lens. We aim to:
History isn’t just what’s in our textbooks. Black history is all around us and much of it hasn’t been formally recorded. We acknowledge that so many stories lie within our elders, communities, family lineages, institutions, and other cultural pillars waiting to be told.
We live in the most advanced digital age in human existence. We acknowledge that history needs to be made accessible for intergenerational public access and digestible in formats that resonate with Generation Z.
We are firm believers that when you know better, you do better. Through The Backbone, we will mobilize our generation to use the movements of the past to inform our movements in the now. We will activate our collective power around the issues that are most pertinent to our generation.
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