Stand Tall Mississippi is a feature documentary about the legacy of Freedom Houses and Freedom Schools, and Mississippi's unsung heroes who helped to pave the way for the Voting Rights Act and the unfinished work of democracy today

Stand Tall Mississippi is an archive-rich, character-driven feature documentary that follows descendants, community leaders, and civil rights veterans as they work to preserve Mississippi's historic Freedom Houses and Freedom Schools - safe havens and organizing spaces used by civil rights workers in the 50's and 60's - that serve as powerful living symbols of grassroots democracy.

We are raising bridge funding of $25,000 to help bring the film across the finish line with a critical focus on archival rights and clearances.

Centered on the courageous work of descendants reclaiming these sacred spaces, the film connects past and present in a powerful reflection on the role of local people whose contributions are often left out of the mainstream narrative - and invites a broader conversation about social memory, civic imagination, and the power of ordinary people to shape extraordinary change.

Stand Tall Mississippi follows the movement to restore, re-imagine and protect these spaces - not just as relics of our democratic past - but keys to our civic future.

At a time when voting rights, historical memory, and civic participation are increasingly challenged, the film asks:

How did the lives and contributions of Mississippi’s unsung heroes shape American history, and how can their example lend itself to the contemporary struggle for justice, human rights, and civil rights?

Rather than focusing on nationally recognized figures, the film brings visibility to the ordinary people who opened their homes to organizers, risked their lives and livelihoods to build the community infrastructure that made the Civil Rights Movement possible.

Too many Freedom Houses and Freedom Schools have fallen into disrepair today. As Freedom Houses and Freedom Schools disappear so do the stories of courage and sacrifice they hold. This film is a call to action to revitalize these historic structures and to invite a broader conversation about the networks of family, community and care that made the movement possible.

It is an urgent call to consider: What histories and progress are at risk of erasure? How can the contemporary civil rights movement build on the example of communities and leaders of the 50's and 60's? And how can we all become better ambassadors for justice, equality, and democracy?

For donations larger than $1000, please consider sending a check or making a wire transfer.

Checks should be made out to “Creative Visions Foundation” with "Stand Tall Mississippi" in the memo section and mail to:

Creative Visions

℅ Grace Breuer

1047 Ford Drive

Nipomo, CA 93444

To make a donation by wire transfer, please email: standtallmississippi@gmail.com for more information.