Airs Monday, February 15 at 11 p.m.

MARCHING FORWARD

Historical documentary produced by the University of Central Florida chronicles how two band directors crossed lines of segregation for their students

See how ordinary citizens… teachers… were the quiet heroes of civil rights movements in the Deep South. Marching Forward tells the story of how two high school band directors crossed the color line, made friends, and worked together to take their students on the trip of a lifetime to the 1964 New York World’s Fair. Chief Jim Wilson founded the Marching Tiger Band at Jones High School, Orlando’s only public high school for Blacks in 1964. Del Kieffner led the Marching Eagle Band at Edgewater High School, a new school built for Orlando’s expanding White suburbs in the 1960s. Their friendship and common love of music and band directing led them to do something extraordinary for their time: bring the Black and White communities of a Deep South city together to raise funds that would allow both of their bands to perform in New York. The film contains 16mm film footage of both bands performing during the 1960s, one of the most tumultuous decades in our nation’s history. Despite violent civil rights activities in several Florida cities, Orlando’s elected leaders, clergy, and business owners worked together to keep relations civil. However, band alumni in the film recount stories of difficulties under segregation, and what it was like to be a black teenager at that time. “You couldn’t go downtown for a sandwich or a drink,” says Jones High School alumnus Pete Boyd. “If you went downtown you had to kind of watch yourself so you didn’t do anything to draw attention from… I’m sorry… from any White people,” recounts Jones High School alumna Catherine Wilson. Inspired by band director Chief Jim Wilson, both Pete and Catherine eventually became educators.