Documentary on nuns' role in 1965 civil rights marches to air on PBS

Published: 2007-01-18

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- A one-hour documentary featuring religious sisters who participated in the 1965 civil rights marches in Selma, Ala., will air on PBS in February as part of Black History Month programming. The documentary, "Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change," highlights the involvement of Midwestern sisters who joined the marches. It also features the Sisters of St. Joseph from Rochester, N.Y., based in Selma, who provided housing for visiting protesters and treated marchers at Selma's Good Samaritan Hospital. Many of these sisters are now retired or working in various parts of the country. Independent filmmaker Jayasri Hart, who served as the film's director and producer, reunited them to show them previously unused news footage of themselves and the events of 1965. The comments they made while watching the film serve as a large part of the film's narrative. "Sisters of Selma" is a co-production of Hartfilms and Alabama Public Television. For broadcast times, viewers should check their local listings or visit the Alabama Public Television Web site, www.aptv.org/as/sisters/index.asp, for a broadcast schedule link.

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