I am Somebody

Madeline Anderson's documentary I am Somebody brings viewers to the front lines of the civil rights movement during the 1969 Charleston hospital workers' strike, when black female workers marched for fair pay and union recognition. Anderson personally participated in the strike, along with such notable figures as Coretta Scott King, Ralph Abernathy and Andrew Young, all affiliated with Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Anderson's film shows the courage and resiliency of the strikers and the support they received from the local black community. It is an essential filmed record of this important moment in the history of civil and women's rights. The film is also notable as arguably the first documentary on civil rights directed by a woman of color, solidifying its place in American film history.

I am Somebody was added to the National Film Registry in 2019.