The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White

Event Description:

Spenser Simrill (Ph.D. English, UGA) is descended from slaveholders. Michael Simril, from people they enslaved. Together, they have researched their York County, South Carolina roots to embark upon an extraordinary journey of reconciliation and healing. Their documentary takes many twists and turns, including uncovering the history of their forebear, Reverend Elias Hill, who with his niece Harriet Simril testified in 1871 in federal court against the violence and voter suppression of the Ku Klux Klan, and then led 166 formerly enslaved persons to Liberia to begin new lives. Based on their research, in 2017 the state of South Carolina dedicated an historic marker at Allison Creek Presbyterian Church, York County, to commemorate their courage and that of other family members. The Department of History and the African American Studies Program will co-sponsor showing the documentary and a panel discussion with the Spenser Simrill and Michael Simril.