USA / 2017 / 5mins / Animation / English

This short animation depicts the story of Maria Varela, a Mexican-American activist, and her commitment to the civil rights movement. Listen to the story of a young Maria who also heard the call and committed to voter registration and reading programs essential to the civil rights movement coming to life in the rural south. How she, attended marches, developed photo documentation skills and listened closely to the advice of Ella Baker and Fannie Lou Hammer.

J. Michelle Hill

Judith Michelle Hill is an African-American animator and artist utilizing various digital media to create an innovative approach to digital storytelling. J. Michelle uses her unique voice in a refreshing way, to draw attention and heightened exposure to little known facts and subjects. She sheds light on the lives and stories of living civil rights legends, national monuments, quiet heroes, enriching community programs and other topics. J. Michelle has engaged in extensive travels and has received training from Rhode Island School of Design and Howard University, which have shaped her sensitive artistic expression; from Afro-Brazilian Folk art studies in South America, research and teaching in eastern Europe as a Fulbright fellow, to her deep commitment to women’s development in Africa. J.Michelle, was raised by a civil rights activist mother, who carried her and her brother to the marches on Washington during the 60’s, participation of protests in Montreal during the Selma to Birmingham march, and through to her mother’s run for public office as one of the first African-American female city council women in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Learn More