News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Friday December 19th 2025
A Few Words Here and There Unlock the Story
from the series Tales from Pioneers and Soldiers Memorial Cemetery…
Number 237 in a Series
By SUE HUNTER WEIR
Sometimes it only takes a few words to open the door to a much larger story. In the case of Maria Chinn, the words, which appeared in her daughter’s Obituary, were “Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.” Why are they so important? Because Hamilton was a major terminus on the Canadian Underground Railroad. An estimated 30,000-40,000 Blacks settled in Ontario before and during the Civil War. Not all of them had been enslaved but many, perhaps the majority, had been, and it is likely that Maria and her parents were among those who were.
Maria’s story is an important one. It is often difficult to find information and documentation for women who had been enslaved.
Maria was born in Kentucky on December 18, 1845. Her parents, Isaac Wilson and Sarah Dorsey, were also born in Kentucky but relocated to Canada some time before the end of the Civil War. By 1865, Maria, who was about 20 years old, was married and living in Hamilton and it was there, in 1865, where she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Capitola.
For reasons that became clear later, Maria was hard to trace in Minneapolis.… Read the rest “A Few Words Here and There Unlock the Story”
Right In The Eye: Live Movie-Concert Of Georges Méliès Films
Featured film at the 2025 Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival
By OLIVER STRICHERZ
Another event that was quite popular at MSPIFF was Right In The Eye: Live Movie-Concert Of Georges Méliès Films, which included a collection of 12 short films made by early special effects pioneer, Georges Méliès, set to a live score composed and performed by French musician Jean-François Alcoléa. The films themselves, which include some of the earliest examples of stop-motion and double exposure, are still incredible more than 100 years post their creation, and could entertain a crowd alone. But, alongside Alcoléa’s score, they burst through the realm of creativity, leaving shock on my face and within me a deep feeling of childlike wonder.
Editor’s Note:
This film review by Oliver Stricherz first appeared in The Southerner, South High School’s newspaper, as part of a longer piece titled: In early April, film takes center stage—The Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival through the eyes of a teen. We are pleased to have permission to feature Oliver’s reviews. If you can’t wait to see more, visit The Southerner at https://www.shsoutherner.net/.
Oliver Stricherz, a senior this year, is a staff writer for South High School’s The Southerner. He is “driven, angered and interested” in human rights and dynamics, hoping to explore human stories.… Read the rest “Right In The Eye: Live Movie-Concert Of Georges Méliès Films”
Free Leonard Peltier
Featured Documentary at the 2025 Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Film Festival
By OLIVER STRICHERZ
Although there may be many, films aren’t the only thing getting people to come to MSPIFF. This year, the festival had many events, including everything from panels to karaoke parties. The opening night of the fest began with the documentary Free Leonard Peltier, which brilliantly told the story of the 49-year-long unjust imprisonment of Leonard Peltier, one of the most impactful Indigenous activists ever. The film, directed by Indigenous director Jesse Shortbull and reporter David France, used archival footage and interviews with other activists who were involved in the 1973 revolution in Wounded Knee. Near the end of his term, former President Biden commuted Peltier’s sentence to house arrest after the previous 49 years he spent in maximum-security prison for a crime he didn’t commit. The film had been completed by this point and had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival the previous January, but upon Peltier’s sentence being commuted, the ending was changed, and shown for the first time at MSPIFF.
After the film was shown at MSPIFF, each of the three screenings that night were preceded by a Q&A with director Jesse Shortbull and David France, and others involved with the film, as well as a surprise video message from Peltier himself expressing his gratitude to those who came and saw his story, as well as a timely reminder to stay vigilant in the face of injustice.… Read the rest “Free Leonard Peltier ”
Keep citizen journalism alive!
