From the Tuxedo Park Diversity & Inclusion Committee:
South Orange, NJ — On Wed, March 18 at 7:30 PM, South Orange neighbors will gather for a screening of Free Joan Little, a powerful documentary short about the first woman in U.S. history acquitted for using deadly force to resist sexual assault. The evening will include an in-person conversation with the film’s director, Yoruba Richen.
Tickets can be purchased here: https://txpscreening.rsvpify.
Hosted by the Tuxedo Park Diversity & Inclusion Committee at 14 S. Stanley Rd., South Orange, the event is intended as an intimate community forum for reflection and discussion.
The 36-minute documentary recounts the story of Joan (pronounced Jo-Ann) Little, a 20-year-old Black woman incarcerated in North Carolina in 1974. After a white jailer was found dead in her cell, Little was charged with first-degree murder and faced the death penalty. She maintained that she acted in self-defense after being sexually assaulted.
There was a bounty placed on her head after her escape. National media labeled the officer’s death “in the line of duty.” Yet Little turned herself in and declared she would fight the charges, saying, “Somebody has to make the sacrifice in order for there to be a change in the system. It may as well be me.”
Her case galvanized a broad coalition of activists across the country, uniting civil rights leaders, feminists, prison reform advocates, and community organizers. Angela Davis, the National Organization for Women, and civil rights leader Julian Bond were among those who rallied to her defense. In 1975, after massive public mobilization, Little was acquitted, marking a legal and cultural milestone.
Director Yoruba Richen, a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker, connects Little’s story to present-day concerns about mass incarceration, sexual violence in prisons and detention centers, and the erasure of difficult histories. The film premiered at DOC NYC in November.
Yoruba Richen
Little’s case, Richen told Ms. Magazine, “put on the map this understanding that this was a problem … in these spaces where women are locked away—where women are thrown away.”
She continued, “There was a bounty on [Little’s] head. She was up against the death penalty. She was a poor Black woman from North Carolina in 1974. All the forces were aligned against her.”
Through working on the project, Richen said she learned that “even in those moments, … we can fight for justice and … we can come together.”
Organizers say the goal of the event is to create space for thoughtful, nuanced conversation within the community.
“South Orange has always prided itself on being a place where people show up for one another and are willing to engage with difficult history,” said members of the TXP Diversity & Inclusion Committee. “Joan Little’s story is not just about one trial in 1974. It’s about community mobilization, about believing someone’s dignity matters, and about what happens when ordinary people decide to stand together.”
The committee emphasized that hosting the screening in a private home reflects their desire for real conversation rather than a passive viewing experience.
“We wanted neighbors sitting next to neighbors, asking questions, listening carefully, and wrestling with what this history means today,” the organizers said. “Having Yoruba Richen in the room makes that possible in a very direct way.”
Seating is limited and advance RSVP is requested at https://txpscreening.rsvpify.
Event Details
Tuesday, March 18
7:30 PM
14 S. Stanley Road, South Orange
Suggested donation: $5–$25
https://txpscreening.rsvpify.
The event is organized by the Tuxedo Park Diversity & Inclusion Committee. For any questions, please contact the committee at [email protected] or committee member Seyi Peter-Thomas at 646-342-6946.
