Thursday, November 16, 2006

Wilmington, N.C. - The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom debuted at a private screening at the University of North Carolina Wilmington on Nov. 14. More than 200 invited guests turned out for the historic evening.

The hour long documentary, written and co-produced by UNCW, chronicles the largely untold story of the first African-Americans to serve in the United States Marine Corps.

Recruited as a result of America's entry into World War II, these African-American Marines began receiving basic training at the segregated Montford Point Base adjacent to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 1942. All African-American Marines continued to train at Montford Point until well after World War II. Those trained at Montford Point saw action in the Pacific Theater and as support units in the United States and overseas.

The documentary was written and directed by Melton McLaurin, UNCW Professor Emeritus, who has taught extensively on the South and race relations. UNCW's involvement stems from a chance meeting between McLaurin and Clarence Willie, Lieutenant Colonel, Retired, United States Marine Corps. Willie was the assistant superintendent of schools in Brunswick County when he met McLaurin. After securing funding, Willie and McLaurin interviewed more than sixty Montford Point veterans in order to highlight their stories in the documentary.

Academy Award winner Louis Gossett, Jr, narrated the film and was present at the screening, along with several of the Montford Point veterans. Gossett spoke to several UNCW student groups prior to the screening. He told the students about his current work with The Eracism Foundation, a non-profit organization. He compared today's effort to eradicate racism to Franklin D. Roosevelt's creation of the Fair Employment Practices Commission in 1941. He told the students, "It's time to drop the agenda, cooperate and save the planet."

Dustin Miller, director of the UNCW Department of Media Production, served as the executive producer and editor. Miller says of the evening, "The spirit of the Marines was positive. The story has been told by the men themselves and shared with members of the public. Many of the men there hadn't seen the documentary before and were thrilled to be able to interact with Lou Gossett Jr. and look forward to its potential national release."

The film was shot and further edited by UNCW Television.

Plans to roll out the documentary to national and international cable outlets are currently underway.

For information on obtaining a copy of The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom, contact Dustin Miller at 910.962.4082.