Real Art Ways Presents
Film Field Trips for School Groups

Running throughout the 2005-2006 school year:

Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks

HARTFORD, CT: November 23, 2005 – During the 2005-2006 school year, Real Art Ways is providing middle and high school groups in the Greater Hartford area with free busing for a field trip to view Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, thanks to a grant from Northeast Utilities. The film will be shown in Real Art Ways’ cinema, followed by a thought-provoking discussion surrounding the place of diversity and tolerance in society today, which will be led by leading diversity proponents in Hartford.

Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, explores the truths behind Mrs. Parks’ famous act of defiance. Through interviews with participants, witnesses, and their relatives, along with newsreel footage and dramatically accurate scene recreations, this film illustrates the historic Bus Boycott and the birth of the Civil Rights Movement in the South. Winner of several awards, including a 2005 Daytime Emmy award and a 2003 Academy Award nomination, this film will invaluably supplement the diversity initiatives already occurring within the classroom.

" Our emotions were stirred to the point of anger and tears," wrote a California teacher who saw the film. "My students were able to feel the injustice and enduring prejudice ... It became real, as much as possible, to them. They want to build character to emulate people like Mrs. Parks, Dr. King, and countless others who tried, who helped, and who hoped."

In light of Mrs. Parks’ recent death and coupled with the ever-advancing diversity of Hartford’s neighborhoods, this film’s screening could not come at a more important juncture along the pathway to expanding and enhancing Hartford as a whole. For Hartford’s youth, the issues of tolerance, diversity, organizing for social change, and non-violent protest are invaluable objectives as we look toward the future of the city.

Says Real Art Ways Executive Director Will K. Wilkins, “This film brings to life the courage, wisdom and solidarity that powered the civil rights movement, and presents Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King within a dramatic context that gives their work much more profound meaning than a sound byte.”

To schedule a trip to see Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, contact Robyn Whittington at 860-232-1006 x116. Real Art Ways is located at 56 Arbor Street in Hartford.