By Faith Jarrell
Student Life Editor
“Get on the Bus” is a documentary following a group of about 50 community members around Kent County visiting important monuments in Black History in Alabama and Georgia. The community members were on their way to donate a jar of dirt from the spot where a Black 23-year-old man was wrongfully accused of a crime and lynched in Chestertown.
In 1892, James Taylor, a Black farmhand, was unlawfully punished for the sexual assault of a young woman he did not commit. Due to the unjustness and brutality of his lynching, members of the Chestertown community filled a jar of dirt from the spot where he was murdered to donate to the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala. to commemorate him.
The documentary premiered at Washington College in Decker Theatre at 6:30 p.m. following a short reception where attendees could get food and take pictures on a red carpet in the Underwood Lobby.
The premiere started with a performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” from local violinist Arin Wilson, in which the audience sang along with the lyrics printed on the back of the programs.
Afterward, Andrea Seals of Minary’s Dream Alliance, Inc., a foundation whose website describes them as an organization created “to transform the lives of youth, families, and communities through education, resource development, and community engagement,” gave a welcoming address introducing the documentary and thanking those involved. This address was followed by a short speech by Dr. Pat Nugent, the Director of Civic Engagement at Washington College.
Before the movie started, director Justinian Dispenza of Andover Media spoke to the audience about his documentary.
“Starting out, you don’t really know how things are going to turn out, and you don’t really have an established main character,” Dispenza said. “As you’ll see, you just have a camera and a vision and time. Telling this story was incredibly moving, but it was also difficult because being a human being with an intact conscience, I could not separate myself from the context of the story.”
The documentary ran for an hour and nine minutes, going over a trip to different spots in Alabama and Georgia, learning about Black history, and discussing the importance of having knowledge of those who came before you, no matter how tough their stories might be. The trip was made to inspire those who went on it, especially all the young Black participants.
One student who went, sophomore Mia Snyder, found herself intrigued by the documentary.
“I thought that the premiere was very educational and I learned a lot about the importance of Black history being taught properly and reinforced throughout all types of education,” Snyder said.
Following the premiere, Philip Dutton of the James Taylor Justice Coalition, as well as Sumner Hall, gave a speech about his involvement and the importance of the bus trip.
Those who worked on the outing talked about how they hope to put on another visit to teach Black history during the summer of 2025.
“We have an uncomfortable past with race in this country. We have an uncomfortable present. And sometimes to move through this discomfort and build a better world, we have to just sit in the ick, as my therapist said,” Dispenza said. “So I hope this film starts a conversation on the way home, raises the voices of the fantastic organizations involved, and helps raise some funding for a future bus trip.”
Then, presentations of the movie posters were given out by the founders of MDA, Paul Tue III and Doncella Wilson, to various individuals who were involved in the making of the film, such as Dr. Nugent, Dutton, Dispenza, and others.
Finally, the night ended with a question-and-answer segment hosted by Dr. Nugent. Those answering the questions included participants on the bus trip itself.
During his speech, Dutton also mentioned sending the movie for free to those who reached out to him, as the main purpose of the documentary was to spread knowledge and understanding. Those interested can contact Sumner Hall at 443-282-0023 or at info@sumnerhall.org.
Photo by Faith Jarrell
Photo Caption: Dr. Pat Nugent, Director of Civic Engagement at the Starr Center, hosted a question and answer segment with community members after the premiere.