FILM

Much of my work as a historian has been devoted to exploring the nuances of the Southern black voice—its pregnant silences, its powerful whispers, and its eruptive rage. The genesis of Sugarcoated Arsenic can be traced to my discovery of rare archival materials (reel-to-reel audio of Professor Vivian Gordon, discarded photographs, local newspapers) at the University of Virginia that revealed the institution’s deep though largely undocumented connection to the cultural and political revolutions of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The film captures not only the spontaneity of our subjects’ lives but also the improvisational spirit guiding my collaborative work with Kevin. (Claudrena Harold)