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Evanstons Living History
Film Screening & Discussion

Monday, February 17 at 3:00 pm

Presented In-Person in Bobby's Room.

The LSCF is proud to present Evanston’s Living History, a documentary by Evanston filmmaker Craig Dudnick.

The film tells the powerful story of Anthony Crawford’s family, who fled racial violence in South Carolina and found refuge in Evanston, Illinois. It chronicles the African American community’s fight for justice and the courage that shaped their journey.

Featuring interviews with prominent Evanston residents like Joseph Burton, Philip Crawford, and Mayor Lorraine H. Morton, alongside historical photographs, the film highlights the remarkable rise of Crawford’s descendants as leaders and respected citizens.

About the Filmmaker

Craig Dudnick, a 1980 graduate of Northwestern University, began his career in film and television with a national award for his camerawork on the syndicated program PM Magazine in 1982. The following year, he founded Imagine Video Productions, expanding his reach to clients in Europe, Japan, and ABC News. As a news cameraman for ABC, he covered the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

During his time at Northwestern, Craig formed a close bond with Viola and Tinsley Hillsman while working alongside them in a campus fraternity kitchen. Their lifelong friendship became the subject of an episode of NPR’s The Story with Dick Gordon.

After Mrs. Hillsman’s passing at the age of 100, several of her friends shared their personal experiences of racial discrimination in Evanston. These powerful accounts became the foundation for Craig’s 2008 documentary Evanston’s Living History.

Impressed by the film, fellow Evanstonian and civil rights activist Alice Tregay encouraged Craig to create a second documentary, this time about the Chicago Freedom Movement. The result was Alice’s Ordinary People.

Both Alice’s Ordinary People and Evanston’s Living History are available on Kanopy, DVD, and in public and university libraries worldwide.

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