WCC Undergrad’s Short Documentary Wins First Place

Janay Joseph, NSU Writing and Communication Center (WCC) undergraduate consultant, and Halmos College of Arts and Sciences history and international studies major, won first place for her short documentary “She Had a Dream: Eula Johnson’s Fight to Desegregate Broward County” at the Undergraduate Student Symposium (USS), hosted by the Farquhar Honors College April 6-8, 2021.

Joseph’s “She Had a Dream” began as a short video project for her internship with History Fort Lauderdale, who helped produce the film along with her internship supervisor, Tara Chadwick. Joseph’s film focuses on Eula Johnson, a Civil Rights activist who led the Wade-ins protest on Fort Lauderdale Beach and became the first woman president of the NAACP Broward Chapter. Joseph’s video focused on Johnson’s story in an effort to inform others of her work as a Civil Rights activist, which led to the desegregation of Broward County Schools and other public facilities.

“I found her story inspiring since she was fearless in fighting for the rights of African-Americans including those outside of her community in Sistrunk,” she said. “With the recent Black Lives Matter protests it shows that a lot of the same issues she was fighting for in the past are still the struggles that Black people go through today. In a way, it links her past to our present. It was an honor to take first place and to see that her story resonated with so many people.”

NSU’s annual USS features and celebrates undergraduate student scholarship through poster displays, oral presentations, films, and performances. Representation in the USS often leads students to further research and publication, and presentation opportunities at both local and national conferences and conventions.

Watch Joseph’s “She Had a Dream: Eula Johnson’s Fight to Desegregate Broward County.”

Learn more about the NAACP Broward Chapter.

Learn more about the Undergraduate Student Symposium.

https://honors.nova.edu/student-symposium/index.html

Learn more about the NSU Writing & Communication Center.