An (Un) Civil Action: A Closer Look at Violence in Massachusetts

A Lecture & Film Presentation, including excerpts of
“John Brown’s Holy War“
Saturday, February 27
1 – 4PM
Lawrence State Heritage Park
One Jackson Street, Lawrence
Free admission  |  Refreshments served

We encourage everyone to make the time for this event in Lawrence, Lowell’s sister city, presented by historians Robert Forrant and Jim Beauchesne with support from MassHumanities. This will be an amazing presentation, but it should also be said that Bob Forrant is one of our favorite people and a KEY advocate for film here in Lowell. In addition to being one of the most brilliant profs at UMass Lowell, the Lowell Film Festival — now in its third year — was his brainchild. We wouldn’t have this annual event in Lowell were it not for Bob.

The knowledge these two speakers have of history is unbelievably impressive — come listen as they provide an introduction to the Great Strike of 1912 (Bread & Roses Strike) and a tour of selected locations. Following this, we’ll get a chance to view excerpts from the documentary film, John Brown’s Holy War, followed by a discussion of Brown’s choice for armed conflict. Just an FYI, the film was created by renowned documentarian Robert Kenner, maker of the Academy Award-nominated Food, Inc.

We hope to see you this Saturday in Lawrence!

More on John Brown’s Holy War from Robert Kenner Films:
He is the father of American terrorism — and an inspiration to the Civil Rights movement. More than 150 years after his execution, questions swirl around John Brown: Was he a madman or a martyr? A bloodthirsty fanatic or a great American hero? John Brown’s Holy War traces one man’s obsessive battle against human bondage. As a child, Brown witnessed brutality against a slave boy; later, he swore an oath to God to fight slavery. A failed farmer and father or 20, Brown was an unlikely warrior. But in Kansas, he led a murderous campaign that ignited all-out warfare. And his raid on the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia in 1859 sparked the Civil War. Brown saw himself as God’s messenger. Others thought him no more than a killer. John Brown’s Holy War takes us inside this complex man–farmer and warrior, family man and avenging angel, to reveal the man behind the legend.