The Documentaries

Stories Preserved.
Voices Remembered.
History Revealed.

Through documentary storytelling, AAR&RI preserves the lives and histories of Ed Sullivan, Elbert Harris, John Laddison, Reuben Elrod, and Willis Jackson — combining research, community voices, and historical records to ensure their stories are never forgotten.

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A woman is recording a man in front of shelves filled with jars in a store or gallery. The woman holds a camera on a tripod and is wearing glasses. The man is dressed in black with a white shirt. The scene is taken from behind the woman, capturing her and the man in the shot.

Overview

The Documentaries Project grew from the ongoing work of the Anderson Area Remembrance & Reconciliation Initiative (AAR&RI) to honor the five documented victims of racial terror lynching in Anderson County and create opportunities for remembrance, education, and community dialogue.

Through a partnership with Anderson University’s Documentary Storytelling class, led by Professor Bobby Rettew, students began using research, filmmaking, and storytelling to support AAR&RI’s mission of preserving these histories and working toward reconciliation.

The first documentary project shared the story of Reuben Elrod and followed a student journey to the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama, where they experienced the Legacy Sites and explored how communities across the country are confronting histories of racial injustice.

Since then, each semester students have worked alongside AAR&RI, descendants, historians, and community members to research records, capture interviews, and create documentaries that honor the lives and stories of Ed Sullivan, Elbert Harris, John Laddison, Reuben Elrod, and Willis Jackson.

These films have been shared during community gatherings, educational programs, and remembrance events throughout Anderson County. More than documentaries, these stories have become catalysts for conversation — helping create shared language, deeper understanding, and continued movement toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of Beloved Community.

Community Storytelling Through Education

Through partnership, research, and documentary storytelling, the Anderson Area Remembrance & Reconciliation Initiative (AAR&RI) continues the work of preserving history and creating spaces for meaningful community conversations.

In collaboration with Anderson University’s Communication program, students use the power of digital media to research forgotten histories, listen deeply, and create documentary films that honor the five documented victims of racial terror lynching in Anderson County.

These stories represent more than student projects — they are contributions to the ongoing journey of remembrance, reconciliation, and the creation of Beloved Community.

The Documentary Project represents a partnership between the Anderson Area Remembrance & Reconciliation Initiative and Anderson University’s Communication program, connecting students with meaningful community-centered storytelling opportunities.
Through this collaboration, students work alongside AAR&RI members, historians, descendants, artists, and community leaders to uncover stories that deserve to be remembered.
The partnership reflects a shared belief that storytelling can educate, preserve history, foster understanding, and help communities move toward reconciliation.
Students pursuing a Communication degree with a concentration in Digital Media develop skills in documentary production, journalism, photography, podcasting, digital storytelling, and emerging media.
Through creative spaces such as the Chiquola Digital Media Lab and The Watkins Digital Media Lab, students have access to collaborative environments where they research, produce, edit, and share stories that impact the community.
These spaces serve as more than production labs — they are places where students learn how communication can preserve memory, elevate voices, and contribute to meaningful change.
Through COM 451: Documentary Storytelling, Anderson University students become active participants in AAR&RI’s Community Remembrance work.
Each semester, students engage in a complete documentary production process:
- historical research
- archival discovery
- interviews with community members and descendants
- field production
- editing and storytelling
- public screenings and conversations
Students learn that documentary filmmaking requires more than technical skill. It requires curiosity, humility, responsibility, and a commitment to honoring the people whose stories they share.
These films become part of a growing archive preserving the stories of Ed Sullivan, Elbert Harris, John Laddison, Reuben Elrod, and Willis Jackson.
Drawing from storytelling principles explored through writers such as John Yorke and David Trottier, students study the foundations of narrative structure — character, conflict, discovery, transformation, and meaning.
Yet these documentaries are not simply about creating compelling films. They are about understanding people.
Students learn to ask deeper questions:
- Who was this person?
- What happened?
- What has been forgotten?
- Whose voices need to be heard?
Through listening and storytelling, students discover that stories have the ability to connect communities across generations.
This reflects the vision of philosopher Josiah Royce, who believed community is something we actively create through commitment and shared responsibility:
“Since you cannot find the universal and beloved community...create it.”
Through documentary storytelling, students participate in that creation.
The Documentary Project is built upon a community-engaged learning model where students move beyond the classroom to become researchers, collaborators, and storytellers.
This pedagogical approach explores how communication education can connect academic learning with community responsibility.
Through immersive storytelling experiences, students consider not only how stories are created, but why they matter and whom they serve.
Developed through ongoing teaching, research, and scholarly presentations, this approach examines the role of documentary storytelling as a bridge between historical remembrance, civic engagement, and reconciliation.
By partnering with AAR&RI, students experience storytelling as more than media production — they participate in the ongoing work of building Beloved Community.
The documentaries created through this partnership extend far beyond the classroom.
These films have been shared at community gatherings, educational programs, public conversations, and remembrance events throughout Anderson County.
Each screening creates opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and deeper understanding.
Through their work, student storytellers help ensure these histories continue to be remembered — creating new pathways for conversation, connection, and reconciliation.

Behind the Story

Students preserving memory through research, listening, and documentary storytelling.

The Stories Continue

Before watching these documentaries, pause and consider the purpose behind this work.

These films are more than historical records. They represent students, community members, descendants, and storytellers choosing to remember, listen, and participate in the ongoing creation of Beloved Community.

Philosopher Josiah Royce reminds us that community is not something we simply discover — it is something we are called to create:

“…the universal and beloved community is still hidden from our imperfect human view, and will remain so, how long we know not. Nevertheless, the principle of principles in all Christian morals remains this: — "Since you cannot find the universal and beloved community, — create it."

Spring 2023

Remembrance Journey to the Equal Justice Initiative

This documentary was a product of Anderson University's COM 451 Documentary Storytelling course. This project was created during the Spring 2023 semester.

Anderson University's COM 451 Documentary Storytelling Team
Destiny Donald — Research / Videographer
Adam Edwards — Producer / Editor
Zachary Freeman — Producer / Writer
Jordan Huffman — Research / Videographer
Morgan Lane — Research / Videographer
Ralyn Ligon — Research / Videographer