Film and Panel Discussion about Arlington Woman

AN ORDINARY HERO: The true story in film of Joan Trumpauer Mullholland 

AN ANYTHING BUT “ORDINARY” WOMAN

More than 150 adults and youth were on hand Sunday, March 2nd to see a new documentary film An Ordinary Hero at the Beth El Hebrew Congregation in Alexandria. This film is the only complete and true story of Arlington Virginia civil rights legend, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, an anything but “ordinary” woman. Sponsored by the Beth El Women of Reform Judaism and the Brandeis National Committee of Northern Virginia, a women’s group supporting education and Brandeis University, a panel discussion followed the film.

At the age of 19, Mulholland was a Freedom Rider, a white participant in the Jackson Woolworth Sit-In, and helped plan the March on Washington. For her actions, she was disowned by her family, attacked, shot at, cursed at, put on death row and hunted down by the Klan for execution.

After the film, Hillary Howard, WTOP Radio Anchor and host of NBC TV It’s Academic moderated the panel discussion that included Mulholland, Freedom Riders Rev. Reginald Green, Pastor Emeritus of Walker Baptist Memorial Church in D.C. and Dion Diamond of D.C. as well as Michael J. O’Brien, author of We Shall Not Be Moved.