Birmingham’s Jordyn Hudson Premieres Documentary on Youth and Civil Rights Historical past

Jordyn Hudson, director and producer of Shape The Culture: Then & Now. (YouTube screengrab)

By Haley Wilson

The Birmingham Times

In her documentary “Shape The Culture: Then & Now”, which premiered virtually on Wednesday, Jordyn Hudson from Birmingham connects today’s youth movement with youth from the civil rights marches of the 1960s.

The documentary tells the history of Birmingham civil rights from a comparative perspective and pays homage to those who have fought for human rights, with an emphasis on how youth play an important role.

“We’re the one we’ve been waiting for,” said Hudson. “We are the change we are looking for. Youth across the country – even though we are young – we have the power to make a difference. We have the power to activate change, just like the youngsters who marched on the Children’s Crusade in the 1960s. We have the power to eradicate racism, stocks and injustice, and we are the change we seek in the world. “

As part of the premiere, Hudson hosted a panel discussion at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute that included a question and answer with cast members.

The Birmingham-based director / producer said it was important to watch young people marching the city streets in the 1960s. “You were brave and changed our country at a crucial time,” she said.

Hudson, a recent graduate from Indian Springs School near Birmingham, was recently awarded the Princeton Prize in Race Relations.

Princeton University’s prestigious award goes to high school students who work to promote racial justice in their communities. That year, 29 students received the award, and Hudson was the only Alabama recipient.

Richard Arrington, Former Mayor of Birmingham City (YouTube Screengrab)

Her documentary featured a number of young protesters from decades ago and current leaders sharing their experiences with the history of Birmingham civil rights, including:

• Civil rights activist and participant in the Children’s Crusade, Gwendolyn Webb
• Former Northern District of Alabama District Judge UW Clemon
• Jefferson County Circuit Court Judge Carole Smitherman
• Former presiding judge of the 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama, Houston Brown
• Former Mayor of Birmingham Richard Arrington.

“Youth has always shaped culture,” said Brown. “There is no time in which you have not developed something new, and this new is criticized, analyzed, dissected … but it lives.”

Hudson combined commentary from civil rights veterans with cameo appearances and interviews with some of Birmingham’s young advocates for social justice, including Chad Freeman, youth activist and founder of Woke Vote.

“A lot of the things we do are so similar to our elders and our ancestors,” Freeman said in the documentary. “If you look at the youth movements [of today] all of these things … these are ours [efforts] for a fairer and better society. “

Last summer, Hudson launched Shape the Culture, a digital platform that highlights the positive work young people across the country are doing in their communities in hopes of encouraging others to do the same.

During a panel discussion ahead of the documentary’s airing, Hudson, who will be attending Spelman College this fall, said the film was inspired by her “passion for work and engagement of youth in the civil rights movement.”

“Of course, this and other entities have increased my passion and led to social activism aimed at racial injustice,” she added. “One component of my social activism is storytelling, and I believe we have to tell people and people have to see.”

You can find a live stream of the documentation “Shape The Culture: Then and Now” on YouTube and Facebook @BirminghamCivilRightsInstitute.

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