The world premiere of 24 documentary films that will be featured in an online showcase were recently announced by National History Day (NHD), the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and the Smithsonian Learning Lab.
The showcased films were produced by middle and high school students who competed in the 2022 NHD National Contest. The videos were screened and selected by NMAAHC staff. Carbon High School’s Nicholas Bryner, a freshman and Elizabeth Blackburn, a junior, were two of the 34 students that were chosen for the online showcase.
The students that were chosen made films that addressed topics that were consistent with the National Museum of African History and Culture, addressing topics of African or African American history, civil and human rights, and more.
Bryner’s documentary is “The Children’s March: How the Children of Birmingham Paved the Way for Debate and Diplomacy” while Blackburn’s is “The Debate Behind Japanese Internment.” The showcase became available for view on Monday, June 13 and will be available until June 27.
“These ten-minute films also reflect the 2022 NHD theme, Debate & Diplomacy in History: Successes, Failures, Consequences,” the NHD shared.
The showcase for this year is available exclusively online through the Smithsonian’s Learning Lab, which allows a national audience to experience the student documentaries. Other documentaries chosen cover topics such as the March of Washington Movement, Clay versus the United States, Madeleine Albright, Hiroshima and much more.
“This is an awesome accomplishment,” stated Chris Sweeney, CHS Dean of Students. Bryner’s documentary can be found here, while Blackburn’s is available here.
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- Elizabeth Blackburn
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- Nicholas Bryner
