I Am Somebody: 1969 Charleston Hospital Workers’ Strike (Documentary)

As part of the International African American Museum’s (IAAM) IAAM Somebody Film Series, we invite you to join us for a screening in our theater of I Am Somebody. Our Film Series showcases films that highlight themes and topics related to African American history. Special Guests who were a part of this strike will be in attendance.

This documentary is the first known documentary directed by an African American woman.

Newly preserved by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Madeline Anderson’s I Am Somebody (1970) brings viewers to the front lines of the fight for civil rights. The documentary examines the struggle for Black equality in  South Carolina, Alabama, Brooklyn, and Washington, D.C., incorporating footage by documentary legends Albert Maysles and Ricky Leacock, protest songs by Maya Angelou, and a speech by Martin Luther King, Jr.

In 1969, Black female hospital workers in Charleston, South Carolina went on strike for union recognition and a wage increase, only to find themselves in a confrontation with the state government and the National Guard. Featuring Andrew Young, Charles Abernathy, and Coretta Scott King and produced by Local 1199, New York’s Drug and Hospital Union, I Am Somebody is a crucial document in the struggle for labor rights.

A testament to the courage of the workers and activists at the heart of her films as well as her own bravery, tenacity and skill, this Madeline Anderson film provides an essential historical record of activism and a vital body of cinematic work.

Video Trailer: I Am Somebody | Madeline Anderson: Integration Report 1 & I Am Somebody | Northwest Film Forum

Ticket purchases include complimentary popcorn, refreshments, and snacks.