Documentary filmmaker Joseph Hill has been on a mission to share and highlight the great triumphs and accomplishments of Black Americans despite the hardships they endured, particularly the parts of history he believes have been suppressed and ignored in mainstream media.
Hill, who is a Howard University graduate, is also a veteran journalist who worked in television and print for more than 30 years. His transition to filmmaking was a natural progression, and the “encore” of his career, he says. Hill is also a knowledgeable historian who has shared lectures on pivotal events in U.S. history, such as the Red Summer of 1919. As a historian, Hill has excavated and explored countless stories about the challenges African-Americans faced since arriving in the Americas, and how they always resisted the Atlantic Slave Trade.
Hill’s work has premiered at international festivals and garnered awards, including Best Documentary at the Pan African Film Festival in Berlin. He is soon releasing his second documentary “The Fight for Freedom,” focusing on the 200,000 Black soldiers who fought for the Union. Hill describes the project as a labor of love, which has been six years in the making. The documentary will be released in collaboration with New Solutions Network (NSN), which will serve as a strategic and promotional partner, bridging platforms and cultures through media, mental wellness, and narrative.
In honor of Memorial Day, BLK News Now! caught up with Hill to discuss the importance of remembering the unsung Black heroes of the U.S. Civil War and share the forgotten stories of men who sacrificed their lives to truly make America great.
The trailer for “The Fight for Freedom” can be found here. Watch Hill’s lecture on the Red Summer, also known as the Elaine Massacre, here. And learn more about Hill’s partnership with NSN.
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