Meet those behind Octavius Catto documentary
DELAWARE VALLEY UNIVERSITY — Octavius Catto was a black educator, baseball player and civil rights activist in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century. A monument recognizing his historic contributions was recently erected in Philadelphia, the first such public statue honoring a black man to be placed in the city.
On Thursday, Delaware Valley University will host a screening of the short documentary, made by History Making Production Co., about Catto, followed by a panel discussion on the making of the film, the memorial and public memorials in general. The free event is open to the public. It begins at 7 p.m. in the university's life sciences building.
Panelists will include: Amy Cohen, historian and director of education at History Making Productions; Nathaniel Popkin, novelist, historian, producer and screenwriter; Mariam Williams, screenwriter for the Catto film, arts educator and public historian; and Carol Lawrence, board chair of the Octavius V. Catto Memorial Fund.