Susan Follett and Ben McHie will share their passion for history as story.  The event will begin with their personal stories, including background, calling, and choice of artistic medium:  literary historical fiction for Ms. Follett and online/visual for Mr. McHie.

Historical focus for this event will be on Freedom Summer, the pivotal element of The FOG MACHINE.  Follett and McHie will compare strengths and weaknesses of learning resource types, focusing on the AP US History textbook, the African American Registry, and The FOG MACHINE.

They will then explore the question “Is the Civil Rights Movement Over?” using Black Box video from Dr. Judy Richardson, film producer with Eyes on the Prize and former Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) activist.  They will engage students on voting rights and access to quality public education, two issues at the heart of Freedom Summer and at risk today.  Discussion will compare voting rights and access to quality public education 50 years ago to today.

The event will conclude with time for students to ask questions.

Twin Cities native Ben Mchie is the founder and executive director of the African American Registry, a website that draws more than 80,000 unique visitors a month from more than 150 countries and territories and is one of the most comprehensive databases of African American heritage online.  The Registry’s mission is "Uniting Classrooms through Education, Transforming Communities through Learning."  Its personal narratives come from people throughout the country, to preserve America’s stories for educational and learning purposes.

Mr. McHie has also been a Multi Media Professional for over 35 years, directing, producing, operating camera, and editing.  He has been featured on the BBC and contributed to many books and articles on race in America, including a chapter entitled “The Pinocchio in Black America!” in the 2013 book Talking about Race.  He has received four Emmys and two MTV awards/nominations.  His work formats include feature films, corporate, commercials, music videos, documentaries, game-shows, broadcast sports and more. 

He is an historian, specializing in African American Heritage, and a speaker for educators, students, corporate and civic organizations.  As an Education Consultant through The African American Registry, his organization trains K-12 teachers to be more inclusive of African American heritage in all subjects, every day rather than just during Black History month.

Mr. Mchie oversees everything that is published on aaregistry.org.  He is passionate about affirming more of America’s untold stories and developing methods to bring races, cultures, and generations closer together.  He is a Speech Communications graduate of Long Beach State University.