The concert documentary Dreams of Hope tells the story of a historic performance at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, more than 50 years after a hate crime there killed four African American girls. An initiative called Violins of Hope contributed musical instruments from the Holocaust; these violins were painstakingly restored as symbols of resilience in the face of hate, discrimination and racism.
Directed by David Macon and Dr. Henry Panion, III, and presented and distributed by American Public Television, Dreams of Hope will air on public television stations nationwide in February 2020. UAB Medicine and the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund of the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham will host the national premiere screening in association with Alabama Public Television on Thursday, February 6, 2020, 7 p.m. at the Alabama Theatre.
Tickets are free; however, reservations are required through Eventbrite. A panel discussion will follow the screening.
About the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund
Building unity and a greater sense of trust and shared fates are the central goals of the Instruments of Hope Unity Fund, a Field of Interest fund of the Community Foundation that seeks to develop a sustainable and permanent model for fostering civil discourse and action toward addressing the most complex challenges facing the greater Birmingham area.
The Instruments of Hope Unity Fund, established by founding donors Gail and Jeffrey Bayer, will support projects and programs that have the aim of strengthening unity by various means, including:
- Fostering mutual understanding and respect
- Promoting inclusive participation in public life
- Reducing prejudice
- Minimizing barriers to communication and cooperation across differences
- Cultivating a sense of shared fates and futures
- Advancing justice and peace
For more information contact Zhaundra Jones.