AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange

Filmmaker Resita Cox and DeVante Hudson of The Chisholm Legacy Project speak with Tina McDuffie, host of Local, USA, about FREEDOM HILL and the story of the historic Black town. Cox shares her own story to the making of film including an education of Princeville and environmental racism while Hudson provides a perspective of organizing, planning and obtaining resources within communities.

Princeville, NC sits atop wet, swampy land along the river. In the 1800s, the land was deemed uninhabitable by white people. After the Civil War, this indifference left it available for freed enslaved Africans. Once called ‘Freedom Hill,’ it was gradually established as an all Black town. But the town has been inundated with flooding...and with each flood, a little more of the small town erodes.

In North Carolina, Princeville and Tarboro are neighbors separated by the Tar River. The former lies on low ground while the latter sits on high ground which is why Princeville is subject to flooding. Kofi Boone, a Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning at NC State University, talks history and racialized topography in the South.

Princeville, NC sits atop wet, swampy land along the river. In the 1800s, the land was deemed uninhabitable by white people. After the Civil War, this indifference left it available for freed enslaved Africans. Once called ‘Freedom Hill,’ it was gradually established as an all Black town. But the town has been inundated with flooding...and with each flood, a little more of the small town erodes.

In cities and town across America, communities of color and people living in poorer neighborhoods have been the target of environmental racism. The unfair decisions and practices by local, state and federal governments, companies and organizations undermine the health and well-being of people as in the case of the historic Black town of Princeville, North Carolina.

When Mwix's younger sister, Jo, returns home from the local hospital to live out her last days, she puts a plan together involving the community. Unbeknownst to Jo, who believes in superheroes, she joins in a game of football using her superpowers while her loving older sister looks on.

Jo's family and community, and friends and caregivers at the hospital, watch the finished film that she starred in, paying tribute to her and her dream of becoming a superhero. With hesitation, her mother and sister are able to witness the happiness, laughter and brightness that Jo is able to bring to everyone around them.

When Kaleche wakes up in the middle of the wilderness, she has no idea why or how she got there. She makes her way to Kati Kati where she meets a motley crew living under the leadership of Thoma. As Kaleche strikes up a quick friendship with him, she discovers that Thoma is a very special person at this mysterious place: Kati Kati is inhabited by the souls of dead people waiting for redemption.

Filmmaker Mbithi Masya talks about KATI KATI, the inspiration behind his narrative film and global cinema. The director and writer, who lost someone dear to him, opens up about grief and shares how he turned deep thoughts about Kenyan society into themes within the story.

Kaleche attempts to run from the truth when she discovers that Kati Kati is not paradise but the afterlife as Thoma explains.

When Kaleche wakes up in the middle of the wilderness, she has no idea why or how she got there. She makes her way to Kati Kati where she meets a motley crew living under the leadership of Thoma. As Kaleche strikes up a quick friendship with him, she discovers that Thoma is a very special person at this mysterious place: Kati Kati is inhabited by the souls of dead people waiting for redemption.

Where am I? Kaleche finds herself in unfamiliar territory after waking up in the wild. And she isn't the only person out there as she meets a group living together in Kati Kati.