Documentary film to premiere at S.C. Humanities Festival

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the George Watson Fellowship Hall of Trinity United Methodist Church, 185 Boulevard NE, in Orangeburg.

McDaniel is a well-known operatic soprano, educator and community advocate whose family has been deeply involved in the spiritual, academic and civic spheres of Orangeburg for many generations.

They are linked to the founding and early administration of historic Claflin University and have long been affiliated with Trinity United Methodist Church.

In addition to the film debut, McDaniel will trace her family’s origins and share cherished, historic family artifacts at the film premiere.

“On Ma’ Journey Now” is the culmination of a unique collaboration between Write to Change (WTC) Foundation of Columbia, and the Douglas Oral History Project in Arizona as part of the pilot project, Envisioneers Orangeburg County.

Stemming from her work as a state touring artist and Arts in Education specialist with the South Carolina Arts Commission, and more recently, leading the Bamberg County Community Rural Arts Work League (CRAWL), McDaniel was invited by Sara June Goldstein, WTC trustee and executive director, to participate in a pilot community-based research project.

The Envisioneers Orangeburg County pilot project would organize citizens of Orangeburg around issues of equity and justice.

Dr. Ceci Lewis interviewed McDaniel in April 2022 with the goal of presenting the completed oral history in 2023, and having it archived and available to the public at the Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum in Orangeburg, as well as in digital form at other repositories.

With the belief that the histories and experiences of ordinary people are often missing, Write to Change partnered with the Douglas (Arizona) Oral History Project to add artifacts, photographs and other items that enrich the oral history to the assembled video and written transcripts of the oral history.

Bobby Harley is coordinator of the Oral History Project for Write to Change. He will be assisted by students from Orangeburg’s historically black universities, Claflin University and South Carolina State University, whose reflections on this process will be posted on websites.

Saturday’s event is free of charge and open to the public.

Light refreshments will be served, and the audience will have the opportunity to meet and interact with McDaniel and the oral history project leaders.

For more information, contact the Trinity United Methodist Church office weekday mornings at 803-534-7759.