Project Hope

Project Hope: A Conversation Between a Civil Rights Foot Soldier & a Fifth Grader

University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB Digital Media), 2018
Roles: Producer, Director of Photography, Editor
Collaborators: DJ Dittenhoefer, Ian Keel, Millena Oliveira, Jacob Richardson

This short film features a powerful conversation between Paulette Dilworth, Ph.D., a Civil Rights Foot Soldier, and Olivier Meloney, a fifth-grade student. Together, they reflect on courage, justice, and the parallels between standing up to bullying today and standing up for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.

Created for Project Hope, an initiative commissioned by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Alabama, the film became part of a “social action curriculum” designed to help students navigate issues like bullying, online behavior, and violence. Filming this conversation was a meaningful reminder of how storytelling can connect generations and inspire action rooted in empathy and understanding.