Free Screening and Discussion Presented by the Montana Black Collective
Big Medicine: York Outdoors
Hosted by:
Traveler's Rest State Park and the Missoula Black Collective!
Traveler's Rest State Park and the Missoula Black Collective!
Big Medicine: York Outdoors is a compelling new film that elevates the story of York, the only Black member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Despite his significant contributions and perseverance during the grueling three-year journey, York’s story has been overshadowed in history. As Captain William Clark’s lifelong servant, he faced the unyielding reality of enslavement while other expedition members were celebrated and rewarded for their achievements.
In collaboration with Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and NEW Multimedia, Big Medicine:York Outdoors follows a group of Black adventurers on a transformative four-day river journey along the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana. This expedition retraces the path of the original Corps of Discovery while connecting York’s legacy to the joy, healing, and empowerment that the great outdoors can provide.
Free screening and panel discussion organized by the Montana Black Collective.
PANELISTS:
- Murray Pierce (Moderator)
- Hasan Davis
- Greg Martin
- Alex Kim
Greg Martin
Greg Martin is a local Missoula historical researcher and writer. He has written about and studied Missoula's early Black population focusing on how the greater white community regarded their presence. Greg did extensive research on Missoula's Black Church, St Paul African-Methodist Church. as well as Missoula's long and extended history with Black soldiers stationed at Fort Missoula. He has self-published much of his research on Medium.com. His work has also been published in Missoula's local online news site, The Pulp. He is currently working with the Montana Historical Society on an article to be published in Montana - The Magazine of Western History focusing on Black soldiers and the greater Missoula community in the late 19th and early 20th Century. He has lived in Missoula for more than 25 years and is a 1994 graduate of the University of Montana.
Murray Pierce
For over four decades, Murray Pierce continues to work as an activist, writer, presenter and advocate in the restorative justice, cultural proficiency, identity development and government spheres. Murray is a past appointee to the Governor of Montana’s Civil Rights Advisory Board, founding member of the Missoula Community Martin Luther King Holiday Committee and the University of Montana MLK Holiday Committee, The Missoula YWCA’s Racial Justice Advisory Board and former Director of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Montana.
He is a recipient of Educator Northwest’s “Honored Educators” award; the Montana Racial Equity Project’s “Racial Justice Champion of the Year" award; The University of Montana Black Student Union Alumni Service award; the Adinkra Alliance Institute’s “Distinguished Black Achievers Honorees” award; and the California Legionnaire’s Buffalo Soldier’s Quasquicentennial “Special Service Recognition” award. Mr. Pierce presently serves on the United Way of Missoula County’s Board of Directors and is the co-founder of the grassroots social justice organization, the Montana Black Collective-Missoula. Murray is also a member of the Widerstand Consulting Group which provides anti-racism training and consultation to organizations and institutions throughout the country. He lives, works and writes under the big sky in Montana.
Alex Kim
Alex Kim loves the outdoors and has dedicated his life to creating spaces where people can celebrate their connection with nature. In 2019, he founded Here Montana, an intersectional community for BIPOC and Queer identities to experience belonging, joy, and empowerment outdoors. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, where his focus is on exploring the intersections of healing, identity, the body, and our relationship with nature.
Hasan Davis
Hasan brings history alive and gives voice to overlooked heroes of color through his theatrical performances of:
--York: Explorer on the Lewis and Clark expedition
--A.A. Burleigh: Civil War Soldier who escaped enslavement to Join the Union Forces of the American Civil War
--Joe Louis: America’s Champion
Hasan’s one-man shows are a superb example of experiential, interactive learning that is engaging for adults as well as youth. Hasan has presented to groups ranging from corporations, colleges, historical organizations, public libraries, schools, prisons, to churches in over 37 states. Hasan has been honored as an Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Families Fellow, a Council of State Governments, Henry Toll fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation, Next Generation Leadership fellow. Hasan, a G.E.D. recipient, earned a Bachelor’s degree from Berea College and a Law Degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He lives in Berea, Kentucky with his wife Dreama Gentry and their children Malcolm and Christopher.
Despite his significant contributions and perseverance during the grueling three-year journey, York’s story has been overshadowed in history. As Captain William Clark’s lifelong servant, he faced the unyielding reality of enslavement while other expedition members were celebrated and rewarded for their achievements.
In collaboration with Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail and NEW Multimedia, Big Medicine:York Outdoors follows a group of Black adventurers on a transformative four-day river journey along the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in Montana. This expedition retraces the path of the original Corps of Discovery while connecting York’s legacy to the joy, healing, and empowerment that the great outdoors can provide.
Free screening and panel discussion organized by the Montana Black Collective.
PANELISTS:
- Murray Pierce (Moderator)
- Hasan Davis
- Greg Martin
- Alex Kim
Greg Martin
Greg Martin is a local Missoula historical researcher and writer. He has written about and studied Missoula's early Black population focusing on how the greater white community regarded their presence. Greg did extensive research on Missoula's Black Church, St Paul African-Methodist Church. as well as Missoula's long and extended history with Black soldiers stationed at Fort Missoula. He has self-published much of his research on Medium.com. His work has also been published in Missoula's local online news site, The Pulp. He is currently working with the Montana Historical Society on an article to be published in Montana - The Magazine of Western History focusing on Black soldiers and the greater Missoula community in the late 19th and early 20th Century. He has lived in Missoula for more than 25 years and is a 1994 graduate of the University of Montana.
Murray Pierce
For over four decades, Murray Pierce continues to work as an activist, writer, presenter and advocate in the restorative justice, cultural proficiency, identity development and government spheres. Murray is a past appointee to the Governor of Montana’s Civil Rights Advisory Board, founding member of the Missoula Community Martin Luther King Holiday Committee and the University of Montana MLK Holiday Committee, The Missoula YWCA’s Racial Justice Advisory Board and former Director of Multicultural Affairs at the University of Montana.
He is a recipient of Educator Northwest’s “Honored Educators” award; the Montana Racial Equity Project’s “Racial Justice Champion of the Year" award; The University of Montana Black Student Union Alumni Service award; the Adinkra Alliance Institute’s “Distinguished Black Achievers Honorees” award; and the California Legionnaire’s Buffalo Soldier’s Quasquicentennial “Special Service Recognition” award. Mr. Pierce presently serves on the United Way of Missoula County’s Board of Directors and is the co-founder of the grassroots social justice organization, the Montana Black Collective-Missoula. Murray is also a member of the Widerstand Consulting Group which provides anti-racism training and consultation to organizations and institutions throughout the country. He lives, works and writes under the big sky in Montana.
Alex Kim
Alex Kim loves the outdoors and has dedicated his life to creating spaces where people can celebrate their connection with nature. In 2019, he founded Here Montana, an intersectional community for BIPOC and Queer identities to experience belonging, joy, and empowerment outdoors. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, where his focus is on exploring the intersections of healing, identity, the body, and our relationship with nature.
Hasan Davis
Hasan brings history alive and gives voice to overlooked heroes of color through his theatrical performances of:
--York: Explorer on the Lewis and Clark expedition
--A.A. Burleigh: Civil War Soldier who escaped enslavement to Join the Union Forces of the American Civil War
--Joe Louis: America’s Champion
Hasan’s one-man shows are a superb example of experiential, interactive learning that is engaging for adults as well as youth. Hasan has presented to groups ranging from corporations, colleges, historical organizations, public libraries, schools, prisons, to churches in over 37 states. Hasan has been honored as an Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children and Families Fellow, a Council of State Governments, Henry Toll fellow and a Rockefeller Foundation, Next Generation Leadership fellow. Hasan, a G.E.D. recipient, earned a Bachelor’s degree from Berea College and a Law Degree from the University of Kentucky College of Law. He lives in Berea, Kentucky with his wife Dreama Gentry and their children Malcolm and Christopher.
Duration: 90 min
Genre: Documentary