“Meltdown in Dixie” Community Screening and Discussion

South Carolina Humanities and the Center for Civil Rights History and Research are pleased to present a community screening and discussion of the documentary film “Meltdown in Dixie.” The film chronicles the recent conflict over the flying of a Confederate flag outside of an ice cream shop in Orangeburg and explores the broader role of Confederate symbolism in the 21st century and the lingering racial oppression which symbols such as this help maintain. South Carolina Humanities supported this documentary with a Major Grant.

The screening and discussion are free and open to the public but registration is required. All who register will receive a link to stream the film online from Monday, May 17 to Monday, May 24, 2021. Registered participants will also receive a link to attend the post-screening discussion via Zoom from 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Monday, May 24, 2021. Click here to register.

The post-screening discussion will feature Natalie Able, President of the Orangeburg Revitalization Coalition; Virginie Danglades, editor of “Meltdown in Dixie;” Seth Gadsden, producer/cinematographer of “Meltdown in Dixie;” Emily Harrold, producer/director of “Meltdown in Dixie;” Bill Hine, retired professor of History at South Carolina State University; Larry Watson, professor of History at South Carolina State University; and Ellen Zisholtz, President of the Center for Creative Partnerships. Bobby Donaldson, Associate Professor of History and the Director of the Center for Civil Rights History and Research at the University of South Carolina, will moderate.

“Meltdown in Dixie” is a TOPIC Original Documentary. The film premiered at the 2021 Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Academy Award qualifying Best Short Award. Additional awards include the Best US Short at the American Documentary Film & Animation Festival and the Best Documentary Short at Ashland Independent Film Festival. More information about the film can be found at www.meltdownindixie.com.

“Meltdown in Dixie” will begin streaming on TOPIC on June 3rd, 2021 and will broadcast on World Channel’s America ReFramed series starting on June 8th (check your local PBS listings). Additionally, there is an in-person screening scheduled at 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia on Thursday, June 3 at 7:30 p.m. featuring a talkback with filmmaker and Orangeburg native Emily Harrold. More information about the in-person screening is available here: https://www.701cca.org/new-events/2021/6/3/film-screening-of-meltdown-in-dixie.

The University of South Carolina Center for Civil Rights History and Research is the first organization dedicated to telling South Carolina’s civil rights story. A joint initiative of the College of Arts and Sciences and University Libraries, the Center seeks to bring our civil rights history to life and inspire an informed dialogue about today’s social justice issues. The center was founded in November 2015 with the receipt of the congressional papers of Representative James E. Clyburn, the state’s first African-American member of Congress since Reconstruction. The Center focuses on these primary areas: engaging the community in programming to foster advocacy and action, informing curriculum for K-12 and higher education, and serving students, educators, researchers and the community in identifying and utilizing University collections and resources.

The mission of South Carolina Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. This not-for-profit organization presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history project, videos and other humanities-based experiences that reach more than 250,000 citizens annually. South Carolina Humanities receives funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities as well as corporate, foundation, and individual donors. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state.