Price of Liberty 2017
March 9 & 22; April 13 & 26; May 4: March Price of Liberty 2017. For the fourth year in a row, the Montclair History Center, formerly the Montclair Historical Society, will host a film/discussion series on issues related to race, segregation, integration, and Civil Rights. This year, the series will be hyper-local, with films based in Montclair. All programs are free. The series kicks off with “A Place to Become,” which explores early 20th century Montclair through the eyes of women who attended the YWCA. Their stories bring to life a town grappling with de facto segregation, integration, and the Civil Rights movement. This documentary, which was produced by the Montclair History Center, formerly the Montclair Historical Society, premiered at the Montclair Film Festival in 2014. Drew University’s Dr. Lillie Edwards, a Montclair resident, will host the first program on Thursday, March 9 at 1 pm. The series continues with “Our Schools Our Town,” a documentary created by Masiel Rodriquez-Vars, that explores Montclair’s evolution from a neighborhood school to a magnet school system. The programs will take on the evening of March 22 at 7 pm and afternoon of April 13 at 1 pm at the Montclair Public Library. The evening program on March 22 will include a discussion period with Rodriquez-Vars and members of the community who were involved in the development of the magnet school system as well as people who are educators today. The series will end with a screening of “The One That Got Away,” a film that was featured in the 2014 Montclair Film Festival. Tourrie Moses was a gifted student, always engaged in his work and eager to learn. But as the years went by, Moses became less and less interested in school and spent more time on the streets, until a tragic decision changed his life forever. In The One that Got Away, director John Block follows Montclair teacher Dan Gill as he reconnects with Moses, illuminating the relationship between the two men and examining the circumstances that lead to and the aftermath of Moses’ fateful actions. The program will be held on April 26 at 7 pm and May 4 at 1 pm at the Montclair Public Library. Directors and producers John Block and Steve McCarthy of BlockMcCarthy Films LLC will participate in the discussion period on April 26. All “Price of Liberty” programs will be held at the Montclair Public Library (50 S. Fullerton Avenue, Montclair) and hosted by a humanities scholar who will introduce the film clip and lead a discussion on the film’s topic. Admission is free for all three films in the series, which explore issues related to Civil Rights, segregation, and equality on a local level. The public is invited to attend one or more programs; no advance registration is required. The Montclair History Center. Free admission. Times vary by event date. 50 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, NJ. 974-744-1796. www.montclairhistory.org.