The Short Film
How to Rig an Election: The Racist History of the 1876 Presidential Contest
After the Civil War, America was on the verge of another outbreak of violence following the contested 1876 presidential election. But in a deal that sacrificed Black Americans' rights, the North and South agreed on peace — and white supremacy. Actor Tom Hanks narrates this short film, produced and written by Jeffery Robinson of The Who We Are Project, directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, and animated by Reginald William Butler.
Watch the Short Film
Narrated by Tom Hanks
Written by Jeffery Robinson
Directed by Emily Kunstler & Sarah Kunstler
Animated by Reginald William Butler
Official selection of SXSW 2023
Distributed by The Washington Post
Read the Op-Ed
Actor, filmmaker, and author Tom Hanks and The Who We Are Project founder Jeffery Robinson collaborated on the animated documentary, “How to Rig an Election: The Racist History of the 1876 Presidential Contest.” Here, they share what we can learn about our nation’s past and present from this oft-downplayed moment in history.
Highlights from a Conversation with Hanks and Robinson
Hanks and Robinson sat down with Kate Woodsome of the Washington Post to discuss the animated short film.
Hanks on the importance of truth in history
“As Ben Bradlee said … ‘The truth, no matter how painful, is much less dangerous than a lie in the long run.’ The idea that some degree of learning about our history is going to be made either illegal or so far removed that you’ll have to go off and work in order to determine the truth of what happened in our past … I think is insulting to us as Americans … It’s going to rob us of the progress we have made as Americans.”
Tom Hanks
(Video: Washington Post Live)
Robinson on activism: ‘Hope does not cause action’
“If you are going to have conversations about why America looks like it does today, then you have to be armed to have those conversations. And I mean armed with facts … It’s important to understand that action causes hope. It's not the other way around. Hope does not cause action. So, if you are looking for hope, the first place to look is in the mirror.”
Jeffery Robinson
(Video: Washington Post Live)
More Information
-
Produced and Written by Jeffery Robinson
Produced, Directed and Edited by Emily Kunstler & Sarah Kunstler
Produced by Andrea Crabtree
Co-Produced by Diana Cherry, Jenna Kelly
Executive Producer—Tom Hanks
Narrated by Tom Hanks
Animation —Reginald Butler
Music—Kathryn Bostic
-
2023
Official selection of SXSW