Join us for a screening of How to Sue the Klan (runtime: 35 minutes) and a Q&A with the local filmmaking team.
“Renowned civil rights attorney Ben Crump brings his expertise and experience to the documentary, How to Sue the Klan, where he serves as Producer. The film features the heroic efforts of five Black women who fought the Klan in a landmark 1982 civil trial and won. After surviving a racially motivated mass shooting on the streets of Chattanooga, the women invoked the little-known Civil War-era Ku Klux Klan Act to win their case, a strategy that still serves as a model in the fight against racial violence today.
How to Sue the Klan is a timely and urgent documentary that explores the use of legal strategies to combat racial violence. Two of the three Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the attack were acquitted in criminal court, the third sentenced to a few months, but civil rights lawyers used the Ku Klux Klan Act to sue them in civil court for damages. The landmark trial set a precedent that exposed how the Klan could be hit hardest: their bank accounts. The judgment also came with an injunction against all Klan activities in Chattanooga, forever banning the KKK from the city. The film explores the impact of the trial, the legacy of the five women who fought for justice, and the ongoing relevance of the Ku Klux Klan Act in today's fight against organized hate.
Mr. Crump is known for his work on high-profile civil rights cases, including the Trayvon Martin case and the George Floyd case. He is the leading civil rights attorney in the US today and is often referred to as Black America’s Attorney General. His involvement in the project demonstrates the importance and urgency of the topic, and his contributions will be invaluable in bringing the documentary to a wider audience. In 2022, the Netflix documentary Civil followed Mr. Crump’s mission to raise the value of Black life as the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Black farmers, and received the NAACP Image Award for Best Documentary.
The film is a call to action for attorneys and advocates to focus on civil rights and to use the Ku Klux Klan Act as a tool to fight for justice. How to Sue the Klan is directed by Emmy® Nominated filmmaker and Chattanooga resident John Beder.”
John Beder : Director and Producer
Rita Lorraine Hubbard : Author and Researcher
Carl Cadwell (Summer Dregs) : Musician and Composer
Victor Tyler : Cinematographer and Content Creator