Half the History
Women’s stories should constitute half the stories that are told, but they are not. The written and filmic records over-document the stories and histories of men. In just one example, only 18% of the biographies on Wikipedia are of women. Women of color and the stories of women from marginalized groups are particularly underrepresented.
The Half the History Project aims to change this.
Channeling my deep interests in women’s history, biography and archival research, I’ve teamed up with my colleague Jennifer Burton, a filmmaker with similar interests, to launch Half the History. This project uses short-form biography, film and podcast to start to fill in the gaps. For me, Half the History has been a wonderful opportunity to learn how to write a film script and be a film producer, understand how to put together podcasts, and to work with an amazing team on projects we’re passionate about.
Learn more at https://halfthehistory.org/
PROJECTS
Ellen Garrison: Scenes From An Activist's Life
Our 2023 film focused on the life of 19th century educator and civil rights activist Ellen Garrison. Years before Rosa Parks, Ellen Garrison was using some of the same tactics to try to assert Black people’s rights in the confusing world of burgeoning civil rights that followed the Civil War. You can see a trailer for this film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRDZZ0oKOQ0
Podcasts
Some of the podcasts I’ve produced include one on my friend and colleague, fellow biographer Lydia Moland, and a pair that go along with our Ellen Garrison film. You can listen to the podcasts from our Half the History website: https://halfthehistory.org/podcasts/
Recent Press Stemming From Our Half the History Work:
Ellen Garrison stands up in spotlight of new biopic premiere in Concord
Lights! Camera! Action! A New Film Stars Concord’s Own Ellen Garrison
Agents of Change: The Concord Female Anti-Slavery Society
Lights, Camera, Activism: Tufts film production students work on a Hollywood-caliber video about an unsung 19th-century civil rights activist
Our 2024/25 film, Women of the Old Manse, will be premiering in Concord sometime soon. Stay tuned!