Young Historians

Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired:
The Triumphs and Tragedies of Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer

A documentary by Ali Castellanos and Allie Molen

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From Bakersfield.com:

Fruitvale Jr. High seventh-graders Ali Castellanos and Allie Molen recently won first place for the state of California in the Free Expression in a Free Society competition sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation. Castellanos and Molen produced a 10-minute video documentary on the voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, a little-known but critical figure in voting rights in Mississippi during the early 1960s....

The competition included junior (sixth, seventh, and eighth grades) and senior (high school) categories and was judged by documentary film makers, one of whom said, "This documentary was terrific. It was the best including the senior docs I saw. The research and footage were excellent. The story was superbly well told and the voiceover was excellent in terms of both content and delivery. I came away knowing a lot about a woman I previously knew nothing about, understanding the context of her life and work and had a feeling for her humanity and humor. Well done...."

Castellanos and Molen researched their project for over six months, watching video footage, reading books, and interviewing numerous people from the movement, including former United Nations Ambassador Andrew Young. They incorporated their interviews into the documentary to help tell the story and produced an annotated bibliography detailing their research.

"I have learned and experienced a lot in the process of making our documentary on Fannie Lou Hamer," said Allie Molen. "My understanding of the Civil Rights Movement has expanded immeasurably, and I enjoyed meeting and interviewing so many people who actually were a part of the movement. I wouldn't trade my experience and knowledge of this project for a million dollars! I think more kids should participate in National History Day because they learn many important skills, like researching and interviewing that will prove useful in their future."

Despite the enormous time commitment, Castellanos said, "Doing the research for this project and making the video itself was such a great experience and accomplishment. I learned so much that will be beneficial to me throughout school and the rest of my life. Even if we hadn't won any awards, I wouldn't regret doing the project."

Photo caption: Fruitvale Jr. High students Allie Molen
and Ali Castellanos work on their video documentary in
the school tech lab.
Photo credit: Susan Reep