I Am Somebody (1970)
Madeline Anderson’s documentary brings viewers to the front lines of the civil rights movement during the 1969 Charleston hospital workers’ strike, when 400 poorly paid Black women went on strike to demand union recognition and a wage increase, only to find themselves in confrontation with the National Guard and the state government. Anderson personally participated in the strike, along with such notable figures as Coretta Scott King, Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young, all affiliated with Martin Luther King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Anderson’s film shows the courage and resiliency of the strikers and the support they received from the local black community. It is an essential filmed record of this important moment in the history of civil and women’s rights. The film is also notable as arguably the first televised documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color, solidifying its place in American film history.
Director: Madeline Anderson
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Ralph Abernathy as Self |
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Coretta Scott King as Self |
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Andrew Young as Self |
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Claire Brown as Self - Narrator |
| Directing | Madeline Anderson | Director |
| Camera | Roland Mitchell | Camera Operator |
| Production | Moe Foner | Executive Producer |
| Camera | Don Hunstein | Camera Operator |
| Production | Madeline Anderson | Producer |
| Editing | Madeline Anderson | Editor |
