Medill Prof. Ava Thompson Greenwell (Medill ’84) doesn’t remember having any Black woman as her professor while she was an undergraduate student at Northwestern, she said.
Her latest project, an upcoming documentary titled “Hearing Silences,” aims to highlight the contributions and document experiences of Black women faculty at Northwestern, a group that has increased in number over time.
Greenwell said former SESP Prof. Diana Slaughter Kotzin initially suggested the idea of working on the documentary to her.
Kotzin was the first Black woman to become a tenured professor in the School of Education and Social Policy. She taught at the school from 1977 to 1997.
“She said, ‘If we don’t tell this story, who’s gonna tell it?’” Greenwell said.
“Hearing Silences” examines the history of Black women faculty at NU, including the 1968 Bursar’s Office Takeover, when more than 100 students advocated for additional support and resources for Black students at NU.
A lack of diversity among NU’s faculty negatively impacts both Black students and professors, Greenwell said. However, because Black students are likely to be surrounded by at least some classmates who look like them, Greenwell said it can be “more isolating” for Black faculty members.
“It was actually the students who drove the move to get more Black faculty on campus. It wasn’t the university saying, ‘Oh, we need to do this,’” Greenwell said.
Greenwell, the film’s executive producer, said the process of creating a documentary is a “labor of love.” She has worked with the film’s director Digifé, an award-winning Black-owned production company based in Chicago, to help complete filming, interviews and research for the documentary.
NU’s Archivist for the Black Experience Charla Wilson retrieved photographs and details on Black faculty members in the NU archives for the documentary.
She said she is “thrilled” that the film highlights the stories of Black faculty.
“I think what’s really great is spotlighting attention on just the importance of having Black women faculty on campus, but to also hear how there have been these challenges that are important to acknowledge so that people are aware of it,” Wilson said.
Greenwell said the documentary is around 37 minutes because she wants the length to fit within a 50-minute class while still leaving time for discussion.
“Ideally, I’d love to have every new student and employee at Northwestern view this documentary as part of their orientation,” Greenwell said. “I think it’s important for us to know of a wide variety of histories as it relates to the university.”
In Spring Quarter, Greenwell showed a preview of the documentary to students at a South Area residential event.
Medill freshman Jezel Martinez, who had Greenwell as a professor, attended the event. Martinez said her main takeaway was the “resilience and solidarity” between Black female professors at NU.
“She really cares about her students, so I really like showing up for her because she always shows up for me,” Martinez said.
Greenwell said she would like the documentary to be completed by Fall Quarter 2024.
She said she hopes it reminds students that having “many more Black women faculty on campus is progress.”
“It is not just for the Black women students, but it’s for all students to see a variety of faculty in front of them and to know that this person has the expertise, they’re qualified, they can teach here and that you can learn something from them,” Greenwell said.
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