Corrymeela Programmes

Corrymeela

US Civil Rights

Learning from the US Civil Rights Movement

In February 2019, Corrymeela was privileged to host US Civil Rights Activists, Dr Sybil Hampton and Dr Rip Patton.  We held a series of workshops with young people, educators and the general public from right across Northern Ireland. We wanted to explore what we can learn from their stories that can help us build a more peaceful and democratic society. 

Sybil and Rip generously shared their testimony with 250 young people, 42 educators and over 130 members of the public. 

We have created 5 films capturing the week that can be used as a resource in a classroom or other learning environment. 

1. Trailer –a 45 second highlight of the week. 

2. Overview Film – Featuring snippets from Dr Patton and Dr Hampton as well as interviews with participating educators and young people.

3. ‘From Birmingham to Belfast: Stories of Civil Rights from the US’  –A filming of the full event we held in Queen’s University, Belfast in partnership with the 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Commemoration Committee (N. Ireland). The event was Chaired by Seamus McKee and featured input from NI based activists Prof Paul Arthurs, Eileen Weir, alongside Dr Patton and Dr Hampton.

4.  Dr Rip Patton telling his story as a  Civil Rights activist, recorded at a Teacher Workshop.

5. Dr Sybil Hampton telling her story as a Civil Rights activist, recorded at a Teacher Workshop.

 The films are embedded below and available on our YouTube Channel. 

 

US Civil Rights Trailer

 

 

Overview Film of US Civil Rights Project 

 

 

From Birmingham to Belfast: Stories of Civil Rights from the U.S

 

 

Dr Rip Patton Shares His Story

 

Dr Sybil Hampton Shares Her Story

 

 

Some Thanks 

Thanks to the generosity of the US Embassy in London, we were able to fund the programme costs for the week. The Community Relations Council and the Department of Foreign Affairs also provided the core costs to enable the project to happen.  A thank you to Queen’s University for generously providing us with a room for the public event, and to the 50th Anniversary of Civil Rights Commemoration Committee for partnering with us. We are grateful to Facing History and Ourselves and in particular to Michele Phillips for the ongoing support. Thank you to the filmmaker, Ben Jones. A special thank you to Rip Patton and Sybil Hampton for their dedication and generosity in sharing their stories with us. 

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