CV Students Interview with Keith Beauchamp
Kate Berra
Staff Editor
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"It's a movie, but it's also a movement."
-Keith Beauchamp
Cumberland Valley High School hosted Keith Beauchamp, the screenwriter and producer of the 2022 film
Till.
The film tells the story of Emmett Louis Till, a 14-year-old boy who was lynched after “talking fresh” to a white woman in Money, Mississippi. Keith Beauchamp has dedicated his life to civil rights activism, and his work with
Till has gained him worldwide recognition and awards like Outstanding Screenplay and Outstanding Film on the awards circuit.
“The film was really good at humanizing [Emmett] Till because I didn’t know that he had a nickname, Bobo, and it humanizes that he was just a kid,” senior Nadia Liban said.
In celebration of Black History Month and invited by Mr. Keith Long and the History and Literature of the Black Civil Rights Movement class, Keith Beauchamp visited Cumberland Valley High School to present
Till and take part in a Q&A conducted by seniors Nyla Anderson and Nadia Liban. Anderson and Liban are both members of Cumberland Valley’s History and Literature of Black Civil Rights course, and they recognized an importance in the history of Emmett Till and the true story that has recently been told.
“I think it was important to have two black people interview Keith Beauchamp in front of an audience because it creates a better environment," Anderson said. "Although we are not Emmett Till, we have both gone through stuff. Social injustices are still a thing today, and I think it just reminds people that there are still issues."
Through the interview, the audience learned about Emmett Till’s life, his impact on the civil rights movement, and his legacy that will live on forever.
A recording of the conversation is available
HERE