Detroit Public Library presents "Freedom Riders" and "Slavery by Another Name" Sept. 13 and 20

DETROIT - The Dale Rich Collection, in collaboration with the Detroit Public Library, presents screenings of two lauded PBS documentaries, "Freedom Riders" and "Slavery by Another Name." The free events at the DPL"s main branch will be held on Sept. 13 and Sept. 20 respectively, from 1 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

In conjunction with the documentaries, Rich will introduce an exhibit of both historic and contemporary photos from the Selma Bridge and Freedom Riders experiences, plus dozens of Rich's own photographs of various national and local marches, rallies and protests. The exhibit, titled "The Struggle Continues," will run through year's end.

The screenings will include remarks by noted historian Dr. Wallace Peace, a professor at Wayne County Community College District, who will also lead a question and answer session.

The explosive, powerful "Freedom Riders" features such Civil Rights activists as U.S. Rep. John Lewis, and chronicles imperiled interstate bus rides into segregated Southern states in 1961 and following years to challenge the non-enforcement of Supreme Court decisions which ruled that segregated buses were unconstitutional. Participants were met with several incidents of severe mob violence.

"Slavery by Another Name" recounts how, after the Civil War, insidious new forms of forced labor emerged in the South. Mishara Davis, a University of Michigan political science student, will give a brief talk on the topic: What did the Constitution's 13th Amendment truly accomplish?

A lifelong Detroiter, researcher and activist, Dale Rich has photographed African-American life and struggles for decades. The documentaries and exhibit are his most recent DPL collaboration. Rich's work has appeared in several publications including The Michigan Citizen and The New York Times. A collection of his photos have been curated at Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther labor library.
For more information call 313-481-1337.