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“The best arguments in the world won't change a person's mind.
The only thing that can do that is a good story."
- Richard Powers
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In 2019, Whirlygig Productions began documenting the remarkable connection between De and Jimmie—a relationship that would become the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary A Binding Truth. Released in 2023, the film has since earned numerous awards and nominations.
Since its release, A Binding Truth has been featured at film festivals, highlighted by various media outlets, and broadcast on PBS. The documentary offers audiences an opportunity to explore a powerful story of family, history, and human connection—one that invites reflection, encourages dialogue, and challenges us to see beyond the divisions that separate us.
Click HERE to explore A Binding Truth on PBS:
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“Marse: A Psychological Portrait of the Southern Slave Master and His Legacy of White Supremacy” by De Kirkpatrick. Click HERE to learn more.
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A BINDING TRUTH
Directed and Produced by Louise Woehrle
They were classmates in 1965. Jimmie transferred to an affluent high school in Charlotte for his senior year—he was their first Black football star. That decision swept him into one of North Carolina’s most volatile civil rights cases, played out at the explosive intersection of football and race. De watched that case unfold and wrote about it in his college essay application. Decades later, a shocking discovery reveals secrets found buried in church records that would change their lives. Their story, rooted in the South, is also America’s story—one of slavery’s legacy and our current racial divide. It’s a story of healing as Jimmie and De explore their binding truth.