Against the Backdrop of Iconic Football Memorabilia in the Heart of the College Football Hall of Fame, a Story of Reconciliation and Love Took Center Stage and BYU Students and Professors Were Part of It
The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, Georgia, kicked off Black History Month with a newly installed exhibit honoring members of the Wyoming Black 14 on February 5-6, 2024. In conjunction with the new exhibit, the Hall invited BYU’s School of Communications to show its documentary “The Black 14: Healing Hearts and Feeding Souls.” The film was screened in front of a packed audience and was followed by a panel discussion featuring Black 14 members Tony McGee, John Griffin and Mel Hamilton.
The documentary – produced by journalism students in 2022 under the guidance of BYU professors Ed Carter, Melissa Gibbs and Alan Neves – chronicles the University of Wyoming’s Black 14 and the collaboration with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to address food insecurity. The film delves into the 1969 experience when members of the University of Wyoming football team were removed for considering a protest in a game against BYU. The documentary highlights the subsequent decades of reconciliation and collaboration between the Black 14, BYU and the Church of Jesus Christ. The ongoing partnership has resulted in substantial contributions of food donations to food pantries in the players’ hometowns.
Having the documentary screened at the College Football Hall of Fame is another accolade on the film’s growing list of recognitions; the film took first place at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Student Awards and received an honorable mention from the Gracie Awards.
To learn more about how the College of Fine Arts and Communications supports experiential learning, click here or watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes look at how students worked together to produce the documentary.
Read the full University Communications article by Tyler Stahle here.