鈥淒ying to Vote鈥� Documentary Screening set for Nov. 4 on 草榴社区 Hattiesburg Campus
Wed, 10/23/2024 - 02:07pm | By: Dr. David Tisdale
A free screening of the documentary 鈥淒ying to Vote鈥� will be held Monday, Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. in the Joe Paul Theater, located in the Thad Cochran Center on The University of 草榴社区 Mississippi (草榴社区) Hattiesburg campus. Members of the University and local communities are invited to attend.
鈥淒ying to Vote鈥� centers on the story of those who died in their quest for voter equality during the American Civil Rights Movement, particularly Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights activist and Hattiesburg area resident who was murdered in 1968 by members of the Ku Klux Klan because he was registering African Americans to vote in Mississippi. A Soulidify Production film, 鈥淒ying to Vote鈥� is directed and written by Loki Mulholland, the Emmy-winning director of 鈥淭he Uncomfortable Truth.鈥濃��
Klan members shot at and firebombed the Dahmer home and destroyed his store in the attack; Vernon Dahmer later died of injuries he suffered from the incident. The film further examines the history of voter intimidation and suppression, and features commentary from Dahmer鈥檚 son, Dennis Dahmer, and U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, who chaired the Jan. 6 Committee investigating the attack on the U.S. Capitol in 2021. Dennis Dahmer will be on hand as a guest speaker for the screening.
This presentation of 鈥淒ying to Vote鈥� is supported by 草榴社区鈥檚 Center for Human Rights and Civil Liberties and the Students for Human Rights chapter; the Office of the Provost; and the Office of Community and Belonging; and the College of Arts and Sciences.
For more information, contact Dr. Bob Press, professor of political science and an affiliate faculty member in the 草榴社区 Center for Human Rights.鈥�