In Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Shenandoah University Screens Documentary in Virginia and Washington, D.C. on Child Plaintiff's Story of 1958 School Desegregation Case

In Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Shenandoah University Screens Documentary in Virginia and Washington, D.C. on Child Plaintiff's Story of 1958 School Desegregation Case

WINCHESTER, Va., Jan. 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Shenandoah University will screen "Wit, Will and Walls: The Betty Kilby Fisher Story," a documentary based on a book, by Shenandoah alumna Betty Kilby, that describes her experiences as a 13-year-old plaintiff in the 1958 case to desegregate Warren County (Va.) Public Schools.

Kilby's case triggered massive resistance in Virginia when the governor closed the public schools rather than integrate them.

Her father, James William Kilby, was the driving force behind Betty Ann Kilby vs. Warren County Board of Education. A farmer and laborer and the grandson of slaves, he believed education was the key to a more prosperous life for his children.

Betty Kilby, representing black children across the country, was trained to walk straight and articulate in the courts her desire for an equal education.

The activism that her family embraced and the subsequent violence they endured for their beliefs shaped Kilby's life and the lives of those around her.

With the case won, Kilby recalled her first day at the school, "walking through a crowd of angry white folk, yelling racial and threatening remarks and aggressive reporters while the National Guard held back the crowd."

"I was a scared little girl," she remembered.

Kilby was banned from sports, other extracurricular activities and the prom. Teachers turned their heads when students harassed her. Law enforcement did the same when someone shot at the Kilby home, burned a cross on the family's lawn and mutilated their cattle.

The most traumatic event, one Kilby kept secret for several years, was her rape by male students at the school.

The girl once pictured in Life Magazine said she graduated from high school dispirited by poor grades and with a lack of confidence that she could pursue a higher education.

When her husband was wounded in Vietnam, she went to work, earning $2.10 an hour as a sewing machine operator. She then proposed a productivity method that earned her a promotion to analyst.

At her next job at Rubbermaid Commercial Products, she worked her way up to become the company's then-highest ranking black manager.

At Shenandoah University, where she earned a bachelor's in business administration, Dr. Warren Hofstra, professor of history, encouraged her to write about her role in history.

Kilby said, "It was the first time I realized I might have a story to tell."

She tried, cried and told her professor it was too painful.

Hofstra told her, "You must. You are a first-hand source."

With her master's degree, Kilby entered the airline industry and subsequently became a real estate principle with American Airlines, a job eliminated by 9/11.

"It became obvious then God had a plan for me to share my lessons," Kilby said.

Kilby established her corporation, Cultural Innovations, a diversity training company, and spoke about her life experiences.

"I was ready to share the trauma and the healing and write 'Wit, Will and Walls'," she said.

SU Television Director and Producer Paulette Moore was captured by Kilby's account.

"The way we see, relate and report to each other about race is still not working," Moore said. "Five decades ago the country settled its racial struggles through a series of legal battles. I believe that was just the first phase. Perhaps the unease we are experiencing now around race is telling us it is time to address these issues on another, more emotional or personal level. Storytelling is a way to do that."

The documentary features commentary by national scholars as well as original poetry by Ray Crawford, a poet and doctoral candidate at Howard University.

The university will also present a companion piece, "In My Grandmother's Footsteps," at the events. Produced by SU student filmmakers, the work features 16-year-old Tanesia Fisher, Kilby's granddaughter, who portrays her grandmother as a teenager.

Betty Kilby and her family, filmmaker Paulette Moore and SU student filmmakers will be at the screenings at three locations for discussion and interviews.

The dates and times of the screenings, free and open to the public, are in Virginia and Washington, D.C. on:

-- Monday, Jan. 21, 7 p.m., Josephine School Community Museum, 303 Josephine Street, Berryville, Va. (sponsored by The Barns of Rose Hill)

-- Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m., American University, Mary Graydon Center, Wechsler Theater, third floor, 4400 Massachusetts Ave., Washington, D.C. (sponsored by AU's Center for Social Media)

-- Thursday, Jan. 24 , 8:40 a.m. and 10 a.m., Johnson Williams Middle School, 200 Swan Avenue, Berryville, Va. (sponsored by The Barns of Rose Hill).

The project was funded by a grant from the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities.

Please note evening and weekend phone number for Donna Hart to coordinate interviews with Kilby and Moore now and during Black History and Women's History months. Photos of Kilby and Moore are available.

Shenandoah University is a comprehensive Level VI private university with an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah Conservatory, Bernard J. Dunn School of Pharmacy, the School of Health Professions (Athletic Training, Nursing and Respiratory Care, Occupational Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies and Physical Therapy) and the School of Education & Human Development. The university offers more than 80 programs of study at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. For further information, contact the Public Relations Office at (540) 665-4510 or visit http://www.su.edu/.

Contact:

Donna Hart
540.665.5514
540.888.3171 (evenings and weekends)
dhart@su.eu

or

Cathy Loranger, APR
540.665.4510
clorange@su.edu

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Shenandoah University

CONTACT: Donna Hart, +1-540-665-5514, +1-540-888-3171 (evenings and
weekends), dhart@su.edu, or Cathy Loranger, APR, +1-540-665-4510,
clorange@su.edu, both of Shenandoah University

Web Site:

http://www.su.edu/

-------
Profile: intent