The Tower Road Bus (School Integration Film)
Donation protected
My documentary film The Tower Road Bus tells the story of Dotson Burns, Jr., a child of the Jim Crow South and accomplished musician, who was on the frontlines of court-ordered racial integration as a teacher and principal in suburban Maryland schools during an era of widespread protests against busing. When Prince George's County needed the first black teacher or principal in a majority-white school, he often got the call.
As the question of school integration arises again in our nation, the film brings Mr. Burns, his teachers, his students and his audience face to face with the ambitious yet controversial busing measures of the 1970s and weighs the broad legacy of court-ordered integration. It was not easy for African-American principals, teachers and students to be on the frontlines of integration, and this film tells their stories.
Your support of this film will usher the project into an important phase: editing, which will give form to the many hours of footage we've shot and the intriguing archival footage we've acquired. Our hope is to complete the film by the end of 2020. It will appear in international film festivals and U.S. television. We aim to finish editing by the fall, so your support in the meantime will be critical.
I am grateful for your support and will keep you updated on our progress through gofundme. You can also stay updated and view more footage and archival photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dotsonfilm/?modal=admin_todo_tour . And make sure you check out our pre-trailer on this page.
(That's Mr. Burns as a teacher in the above picture, on the right, with his class at Surrattsville Elementary School in Clinton, Maryland.)
A little about myself: I have produced and written numerous documentaries, including the award-winning Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Nighthawks on the Blue Highway. My attachment to this story is personal as Mr. Burns was my elementary school principal. My curiosity about his experiences and those of my fellow students who were bused to the majority-white school inspired me to make this film. These days, I teach communication and film studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.
As the question of school integration arises again in our nation, the film brings Mr. Burns, his teachers, his students and his audience face to face with the ambitious yet controversial busing measures of the 1970s and weighs the broad legacy of court-ordered integration. It was not easy for African-American principals, teachers and students to be on the frontlines of integration, and this film tells their stories.
Your support of this film will usher the project into an important phase: editing, which will give form to the many hours of footage we've shot and the intriguing archival footage we've acquired. Our hope is to complete the film by the end of 2020. It will appear in international film festivals and U.S. television. We aim to finish editing by the fall, so your support in the meantime will be critical.
I am grateful for your support and will keep you updated on our progress through gofundme. You can also stay updated and view more footage and archival photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dotsonfilm/?modal=admin_todo_tour . And make sure you check out our pre-trailer on this page.
(That's Mr. Burns as a teacher in the above picture, on the right, with his class at Surrattsville Elementary School in Clinton, Maryland.)
A little about myself: I have produced and written numerous documentaries, including the award-winning Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison and Nighthawks on the Blue Highway. My attachment to this story is personal as Mr. Burns was my elementary school principal. My curiosity about his experiences and those of my fellow students who were bused to the majority-white school inspired me to make this film. These days, I teach communication and film studies at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York.
Organizer
Michael Streissguth
Organizer
Syracuse, NY