Archival photo of 9th Avenue students working on the yearbook
The Center for Cultural Preservation will premiere a new film, Color Beyond the Lines, on Saturday, June 21, documenting the rich and challenging history of the Black community’s journey toward educational equity. Directed by David Weintraub, the film explores the integration of Hendersonville’s schools and the broader experiences of the Black community in Western North Carolina. The premiere will begin at 7 p.m. in the Thomas Auditorium at Blue Ridge Community College with a local musical performance, followed by the screening and a discussion with local Black leaders.
For years, Weintraub has been working on an oral history project with the Hendersonville Black History Research Group. “I was blown away by how much I didn’t understand about the extent of discrimination the Black community faced and the hardships they had to overcome,” he says.
Starting four members of the statewide champs, the 1972 Hendersonville High School Bearcats
“What became clear in interviewing dozens of Black elders here is that they understood that if they were going to be totally free, they needed to have a quality education. And that’s the focus of the film, the creation of great institutions of learning that became precious aspects of the Black community.”
The Research Group was vital to the creation of the film, introducing Weintraub to alumni of the 9th Avenue School, a historical centerpiece of Black education in Henderson County. Weintraub worked with two historians who had also laid the groundwork on local Black history: Betty Jamerson, author of School Segregation in Western North Carolina and Jennie Jones Giles, a local history educator. “They helped put me in touch with former students, teachers and businesspeople who gave me a window into the life of a very vibrant Black community that had to be self-sufficient because they received little support from the greater community for many years,” he says.
The premiere of Color Beyond the Lines will commemorate the 60th anniversary of school integration in Hendersonville.
Tickets for the premiere can be purchased at SaveCulture.org and all proceeds benefit the Center for Cultural Preservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving mountain heritage through oral history and documentary film.
