RALEIGH – Prizewinning journalist Cash Michaels knew he was on to a big story as he covered the North Carolina campaign of then-candidate Barack Obama. The results of that historic campaign and North Carolina’s role in it are seen in the documentary “Obama in NC: The Path to History,” produced and narrated by Michaels. To lay the groundwork for the present-day events, Michaels did research in the North Carolina State Archives, which holds more than 50,000 linear feet of valuable materials.
“Obama in NC” looks beyond the day-to-day political cycles, and examines the historic path from the Jim Crow era of the early 1900s to the tumultuous Civil Rights era and beyond. Michaels recalls, “I was able to locate and utilize several archival photographs and documents related to North Carolina’s pre and post Civil Rights period for my documentary.”
Although the film includes an exclusive interview with former Governor Jim Hunt, and footage of historian John Hope Franklin, civil rights activist Al Sharpton, First Lady Michelle Obama and others, Michaels finds that audiences value those rare glimpses of the past afforded by research in the State Archives.
“One of the things people who see “Obama in NC: The Path to History” love is the extraordinary North Carolina history portrayed in the film that they never knew before.,” Michaels observes. “That simply could not have been possible without the invaluable assistance , and the impressive resources of the North Carolina State Archives.”
Michaels has donated two copies of the film to the State Archives to benefit future researchers, saying that without the resources of the archives the film would not have been possible. “Obama in NC: The Path to History” was winner of second place for Best Feature Film at the Hayti Film Festival in Durham. It has been screened in Raleigh, Durham, Charlotte, Cary, and Goldsboro. Michaels is negotiating for further distribution of the film.
For additional information on the State Archives, contact Kim Cumber at (919) 807-7311. The State Archives is part of the Office of Archives and History in the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources, the state agency with the mission to enrich lives and communities, and the vision to harness the state’s cultural resources to build North Carolina’s social, cultural and economic future. Information is available 24/7 at www.ncculture.com.