Schyleen Ingram Qualls and the film Running the Line

Dear Ingram Family, Friends and Supporters,

I’m excited to report that we’re on track to make a major movie centered around the life of my heroic grandfather, Ben Ingram Jr. Right now, we’re at a critical point in the development of the film project and your financial support is urgently needed. Please help us to produce an Oscar-worthy movie and bring an extraordinary chapter of Ingram

family history and American history to life.

My grandfather, Ben Ingram Jr. was a wealthy Black landowner in Mississippi, who in 1918, risked everything to resolve a long-standing land feud with his powerful white neighbor. When Ben killed his neighbor in self-defense, it ignited one of the most sensational murder trials of its era -- ending with the unbelievable acquittal of my grandfather by an all-white jury. This true story of an extraordinary man who stood defiant in the face of certain death; and his ultimate triumph in the midst of one of the most violent and racist chapters in America’s history, must be told!

Born in 1876, and considered wealthy by even white standards, Ben Ingram Jr. was one of several thousand professional and entrepreneurial Black men in the United States during the early 1900’s who built large farms, prosperous businesses, medical and law practices, colleges, churches, banks, newspapers and service organizations to uplift their families, communities and country. This empowering movie will shine a much-needed light on a generation of successful Black families who fought for land ownership, education and civil rights.

Turning conventional wisdom on its head, this chronicle of courage and justice across lines of color, will certainly create a space for us to view the South and its people in a new light, serving as a beacon of hope and inspiration in today’s world.

The movie will be based on my book, Running the Line, which features amazing interviews with seven eyewitness to the trial, that I recorded in 1970; along with documents and information I gathered during several decades of researching our family history and this story.

Steve Krone, former president of Village Roadshow Pictures, the company behind iconic films like The Matrix trilogy, Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean's Twelve, and Training Day is on board to produce the movie. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., author, historian and creator of the

Emmy Award-winning series, Finding Your Roots, is an Executive Producer. Oscar-nominated screenwriter, Dianne Houston, has signed on to write the script. As soon as the screenplay is complete (early 2025) we’ll begin to approach stars, studios and

directors.

Help us get to the finish line! Please donate as much as you can and share the GoFundMe link with all your friends, family and networks. See the slides below for more information on our team and the movie.

We look forward to thanking and acknowledging everyone who contributes to this fundraising campaign and helps to make this dream a reality.

With deep gratitude,

Schyleen Ingram Qualls

www.schyleen.com

[email redacted]