A Place in History: Black Women on Films
(1806)

Initial Air Dates:
Tuesday, March 15, 2005

(l-r) Carol Bash, Sharon LaCruise, Marcia Smith

Women filmmakers and the films about women they produced take center stage on Another View. Carol Bash and Sharon Lacrue share their experiences as creators of two groundbreaking films about unsung women who have made their mark in history.

Independent documentary filmmaker Carol Bash creates narrative films and documentaries that bring the richness of African-American culture alive. In her film Soul on Soul: the Story of Mary Lou Williams, Bush, shares a side of the music genius that few have seen. Williams was one of the greatest, unsung jazz pianists of her time. A jazz composer and arranger, she lived through every phase in the history of jazz and played the music of each era to perfection. She inspired jazz greats such as Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and Charlie Parker and is well-known in the jazz community. Bash shares details of Williams’ fascinating journey and how she remained a contemporary throughout her life.

Filmmaker Sharon LaCrue also shares her passion as the creator of the Daisy Lee Gatson Bates story. As President of the Arkansas NAACP, Bates coordinated the school integration effort in Little Rock that mesmerized the nation. Her home was the meeting place for the Little Rock Nine as they created a plan of action that led to the landmark decision of Brown v. Board of Education. Bates went on to serve in President Lyndon Johnson’s anti-poverty crusade and led a lifetime of giving back to the community. LaCrue takes viewers on Bates’ journey as well as her journey as a filmmaker.