I Am Somebody (1970)

Madeline Andersons documentary brings viewers to the front lines of the civil rights movement during the 1969 Charleston hospital workers strike when 400 poorly paid Black women went on strike to demand union recognition and a wage increase only to find themselves in confrontation with the National Guard and the state government Anderson personally participated in the strike along with such notable figures as Coretta Scott King Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young all affiliated with Martin Luther Kings Southern Christian Leadership Conference Andersons film shows the courage and resiliency of the strikers and the support they received from the local black community It is an essential filmed record of this important moment in the history of civil and womens rights The film is also notable as arguably the first televised documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color solidifying its place in American film history