Holly Pinheiro\u2019s research is centered on freeborn Northern Black families and their military-related experiences from 1850-1930. So when the assistant professor of African American history got an invitation to appear on Curiosity Stream\u2019s \u201cCivil War Escape Stories,\u201d he was a little perplexed.<\/p>\n
But the department\u2019s newest faculty member agreed to the gig and proceeded with the interviews on a humid October Saturday with the Curiosity Stream film crew, navigating vocal waterfowl at Furman lake, and an equally vocal bell tower carillon.<\/p>\n
That was the backdrop for eight episodes in which Pinheiro will be featured come Spring 2022. He isn\u2019t sure about the number of total episodes or how many other experts will be tapped for the series, but he estimates another three or four \u201ctalking heads,\u201d might also go on record.<\/p>\n
He was first alerted to the plan after an Oberlin College colleague recommended him for the docuseries. After exchanging a few phone calls and nailing down the logistics and legal paperwork between Furman and Curiosity Stream, it was a matter of meeting face-to-face, or better, face-to-camera.<\/p>\n
Asked if he was accustomed to being in front of the camera and if he enjoys the limelight, Pinheiro said flatly, \u201cNo and no \u2013 I\u2019m not accustomed to it and I don\u2019t enjoy it \u2026 I\u2019d rather be lurking in the shadows.\u201d But the spotlight is all well and good with Pinheiro as long as he can tell the stories and help make them accessible to more people.<\/p>\n
He said most of his on-camera comments were general in nature to cover the scope of the series, but at other times, he was able to offer more nuanced information about things like the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 \u2013 \u201ca federal policy that jeopardized the lives and safety of every person of color, particularly Black,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
He touched on topics like the Civil War home front \u2013 the Black familial experience during the war, the experiences of enslaved skilled laborers, and South Carolina\u2019s Robert Smalls\u2019 heroic and stealthy commandeering of the CSS Planter in 1862 from Confederate forces and subsequent delivery of the ship, its cargo and 16 newly freed people to the Union Navy. \u201cSo basically everything but my expertise,\u201d he said, laughing.<\/p>\n
No problem for Pinheiro, who is on the cusp of releasing a new book where his vein of research will be on full display.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Families Civil War: Northern African American Soldiers and The Fight for Racial Justice\u201d is scheduled to be published by University of Georgia Press in June 2022 as part of its \u201cUnCivil War\u201d series. It delves into \u201chow racism, within and outside of military service, impacted the bodies, economies, family structures and social spaces of African Americans long after the war ended,\u201d Pinheiro wrote in a description.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m very excited about the book,\u201d said Pinheiro, who received a book development grant from the Furman Humanities Center. \u201cIt recenters attention on aspects of the Civil War that most people ignore or don’t emphasize for whatever reason. It looks at Northern Black families connected to military service in some complicated but meaningful ways,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n
Meantime, Pinheiro says \u201cCivil War Escape Stories\u201d gives him a chance to bring narratives to the fore about people who matter and what they endured.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf this docuseries helps people get interested in South Carolinian, African American, women\u2019s history \u2013 that’s great. If (filmmakers) want to reach out to me, that’s awesome. But at the end of the day, it\u2019s about getting the public to see the value of and learning about these people’s stories,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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