UNSPOKEN explores the racial divide in America, through the experiences of one small southern town. Resident filmmaker Stephanie Calabrese offers an insider's perspective and an intimate journey that digs deep into the roots of this divide, entrenched by the 1946 Moores Ford Lynching, and the impact of racial injustice on the community.

upcoming screenings

Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 6:30pm - 8:30pm | Hosted by the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA

Film Summary

UNSPOKEN is a powerful and insightful documentary feature film that explores the impact of racial division in a small southern town, particularly in relation to the 1946 Moore Ford Lynching, which is considered the last mass lynching in America. Through the iPhone camera lens of resident Stephanie Calabrese, the film uncovers buried truths and sheds light on the secrecy that still surrounds this tragic event, as well as the ongoing impact of segregation, the Civil Rights Movement, and the integration of schools and society in Monroe, Georgia.

Sourced from 40 interviews with fellow residents and extensive research, UNSPOKEN offers a nuanced and complex understanding of the historical factors that have contributed to the racial divide in the town, as well as contemporary challenges that continue to perpetuate it. By bringing these issues to the surface, the film aims to inspire dialog focused on race relations, divisions, and opportunities for reconciliation in hometowns across America. UNSPOKEN is an important and timely work that has the potential to create meaningful change and contribute to a deeper understanding of the complex and ongoing impact of racism in America.

Order UNSPOKEN: FOR EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS & PUBLIC LIBRARIES

About Monroe, Georgia

Monroe is a small southern town, about an hour east of Atlanta and thirty minutes west of Athens, Georgia. Incorporated in 1821, it was the Georgia’s premier cotton producer during the 1900s. It is a place of contrasts – old and new, white collar and blue collar, financial wealth and extreme poverty. Home to more than 15,000 folks, about half of the town’s residents are Black and about half are white. It’s a community of proud natives, thick roots, content neighbors, and hopeful newcomers seeking space and opportunity. For generations, Monroe lacked big city conveniences, night life, and a legal place to buy liquor; but it's abundant in reclaimed cotton mills, antiques, churches, and well-mannered folks. Locals take pride in the town and its small town charm. The community is growing. This film seeks to inform, educate and encourage honest conversations about our history, and to help build a stronger, more open and intentionally inclusive community not only in Monroe, but in hometowns across America.

See the filmmaker’s photography series: “Hometown: A Documentary of Monroe, Georgia” documented 2013-2018 and featured by The New York Times LENS. It helped to inspire the creation of this film.