Private Project

Silence in the Mississippi Delta - Hawkins vs The Town of Shaw

This documentary tells the story about Andrew Hawkins Sr. & his family suing the town of Shaw, Mississippi for the disparities prevalent in the neighborhoods of the African American community around one of the peaks in the Civil Rights Movement, Freedom Summer.

  • Tijaha Richardson
    Director
  • Tijaha Richardson
    Writer
  • Tijaha Richardson
    Producer
  • Yvette G. Richardson
    Producer
  • Gloria Hawkins Scott
    Interviewees
  • Mary Sue G. Short
    Interviewees
  • Bennie G. Thompson
    Interviewees
  • Willie Griffin
    Interviewees
  • Melvyn R. Lowenthal
    Interviewees
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Student
  • Genres:
    History, Documentary, Black History, Participatory, Interview, Mixed, Expository, Observational
  • Runtime:
    31 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 17, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    700 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of Southern Miss
Director Biography - Tijaha Richardson

Tijaha Richardson is a young independent filmmaker, producer, director, screenwriter, philanthropist, entrepreneur, & motivational content creator. She is from the state of Mississippi, USA & became interested in filming at the age of 12. Her focus on pursuing a career in filming was nailed in at the age of 16 when she decided to take a Digital Media class for an extracurricular credit. In that Digital Media class, she began to learn how to edit videos. In the Spring of 2020, she graduated from the University of Southern Miss with a Bachelors of Arts degree as an Entertainment Industry (Media Production) major & Black Studies minor. One year later, she started up her own Christian film production company called Groundbreaking Productions LLC & she began pursuing her purpose as a filmmaker in various ways.

Then in the Fall of 2022, she graduated from Mississippi College with a Masters degree in Integrated Communications & currently works full-time in Information Technology as a Quality Control Specialist. As a part-time filmmaker & CEO of Groundbreaking Productions LLC, her goal is to not only to fulfill her purpose; but she also plans on showing diverse representation of people in her faith-based, family-friendly films in various genres & share untold stories that are not known or taught to the public. If you would like to contact her company directly due to being interested in collaborating to create more faith-based, family friendly content, make sure to reach out via email or through social media.

Email: groundbreakingproductions2021@gmail.com

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

As a creator pursuing a career in the filming industry, I want to educate, inspire, & uplift individuals who are not represented in widely the media. Ever since I was 12 years old, I could never understand why black and other minorities were not highlighted in a positive light within media nor in the books that we read in the library. That's why my focus is to create family & faith-based films that all minorities can relate to, create movies that reveal hidden trailblazers, & create films that breaks boundaries for many years to come.