Publication Date
Spring 4-22-2026
College
Interdisciplinary Studies & Global Education
Department
Honors Program
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Carolyn Spellings
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
This presentation explores the planning and execution of our Honors project: a documentary highlighting local Nashville activists Joyce and Walter Searcy. It outlines our research process, the development of timelines documenting their lives, our collaboration with Fisk University, and the production of the documentary. Housed within the Belmont-Fisk Social Justice Collaborative, our work examines strategies that contributed to the systemic change during the Civil Rights Movement. This inquiry sparked deeper engagement with the Nashville community and illuminated the Searcys’ vital role in fostering community organizing and leading meaningful change. This documentary reflects on what it means to be a selfless facilitator, open-minded thinker, and an active participant in civil discourse. Throughout this project, our class has developed a deeper understanding of how to document and interpret history by engaging with Civil Rights scholarship, documentary style filmmaking, and Nashville’s often untold rich stories.
Recommended Citation
Spinder, Elise S.; Chourazghi-Azad, Sheeva; Krammerer, Nate; Blubaugh, Anna; and Brewer, Sarah, "The Searcy Story" (2026). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 878.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/878
Included in
Archival Science Commons, Cataloging and Metadata Commons, Composition Commons, Film Production Commons, Social Justice Commons
