Behind the Lens: A Conversation with Documentary Filmmaker, Darryl Ford Williams on the Making of The Cost of Inheritance
Black History is American History
Strategy Squad is making black history by working to dismantle racism and inequality in various ways: As founders and business owners, we value equity and ownership. We believe that the financial services industry needs more black-owned, POC-owned, and women-owned businesses because it translates to the creation of good jobs and pathways for other women and BIPOC people in a historically white-male dominated industry.
Wealth advisors like us have a lot of influence on where capital flows in our communities. So as much as we can, we want to amplify social justice issues that persist and help educate investors and the greater community about the opportunities and solutions to combating white supremacy and maintaining status quo.
Reparations for Black Americans is a growing topic of interest in our community and amongst our client base. Last Fall, Strategy Squad hosted a webinar with Dr. Travis Bristol about the Reparations movement within the state of California and The California Reparations Report. Most recently, we had an opportunity to have a conversation with Ms. Darryl Ford Williams, executive producer of The Cost of Inheritance. In case you’re not familiar with it, The Cost of Inheritance is a powerful one-hour documentary exploring the topic of reparations for slavery in the United States. The film is a co-production by WQED and the Center for Social Solutions (CSS) at the University of Michigan, and was the Season 12 premiere episode of the WGBH World Channel series, America ReFramed. You can find the film online, on the WORLD Channel at YouTube.com.
(Note: This interview has been edited for clarity.)
Holloway: Tell us a little bit about your story/background and how it led to you being producer of “The Cost of Inheritance” documentary film?
Williams: I started my professional media career in commercial news, which eventually led to me starting my own agency, where I consulted with news stations and broadcast groups. I also worked as an agent for on-air talent and was involved in transitioning Good Morning America to ABC’s news division. It was my role at WQED, where I expanded my role from local television to include radio, education, and interactive media. One of the projects I am most proud of is a documentary titled August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand (2015), which took eight years to develop and another two and a half years to complete, funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities and PNC Corporation. Another more recent project was Harbor from the Holocaust (2020), which presented the story of 20,000 Jews who fled Nazi-occupied Europe and found refuge in Shanghai during World War II.
Holloway: Reparations is a big topic with lots of history and stories to tell. How did your team decide what areas to focus on in the documentary?
Williams: When the team began its research, we quickly identified wealth and land displacement as quantifiable and significant issues to address in the film. One of the stories explored in the film is the relationship between the Quarterman and Keller families, which involved an effort to help the Quarterman family gain title of land that was given to their formerly enslaved ancestors.
Holloway: What do you think the impact of the documentary has been so far?
Williams: Since the documentary premiered, I think it has led to increased understanding and empathy, and even has resulted in significant donations to reparations organizations. Although there has been some backlash, particularly on social media, positive conversation about reparations is happening online and in communities. Overall, I’m satisfied that the goal of the film was achieved: to educate and illuminate, rather than to advocate.
Holloway: The production team of “The Cost of Inheritance” was composed primarily of women of color, which isn’t something that happens often. How do you think this impacted the making of the film?
Williams: My priority was to recruit the best candidates, which naturally resulted in a team of women of color. It was very important to me to have a director who understood the topic at hand, which led to us choosing Yoruba Richen as Director of the film. Yoruba introduced me to Lacey Schwartz Delgado and Mehret Mandefro from Truth Aid Media, whose backgrounds in law and medicine, respectively, appealed to me given the very detail-oriented nature of those professions. We also had an associate producer and various other team members of different ethnicities. The team’s goal was to create a project that was thoroughly researched and vetted, due to the anticipated controversy and scrutiny.
Holloway: What advice would you give to viewers who want to take further steps after watching the film?
Williams: There are many ways that people can start or continue engaging in repair work. Viewers can take a short survey about what reparations mean to them, engage in dialogue on social media, and seek out opportunities to inspire community conversations. All of this is important so that our communities can engage in more civic and civil dialogue with diverse groups of people on the topic of reparations.
We invite you to consider how you can help the movement toward reparations for slavery in America. There are many organizations that are working toward this purpose, and you might consider donating to these organizations. Even if you don’t have the means to make donations, you can talk to people in your circle of influence about the topic of reparations and what you’ve learned thus far. Invite someone to watch The Cost of Inheritance with you, and chat about it afterward. You may be able to clear up some misconceptions for someone and lead them to a place of honest curiosity, understanding and empathy.
The production team has provided a Community Discussion Guide to provide you with the tools you need to host a screening of The Cost of Inheritance, resulting in productive dialogue and offering options for further action and education.
Curriculum resource:
Video resources related to The Cost of Inheritance:
- The Cost of Inheritance | Reparations in the United States | Full Documentary | America ReFramed
- The Cost of Inheritance: Beyond the Lens | An America ReFramed Special
- Meet the Makers: The Cost of Inheritance | Reparations in America
Watch a recording of Strategy Squad’s webinar, Exploring Reparations, featuring a conversation between Nicole Middleton Holloway and Dr. Travis Bristol.
Watch The Cost of Inheritance and share your thoughts on social media:
