A father’s secret. A daughter’s reckoning. A nation’s dark legacy.
A gripping and essential exploration of race, accountability, and the far-reaching consequences of family secrets
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
About the Film
Years after Lee Ed Frazier's death, his daughter Jan made a shocking discovery: as a young man her father had participated in a lynching. As she attempts to uncover the truth about what happened, Jan learns that this specific lynching was iconic in American history, because photos of it were the first ever to be published in a national publication. Both Time and Life magazines carried the story and the photos as they reported on the anti-lynching bill that was before Congress at that very moment.
Additionally, she realizes that no names of the lynchers were ever published. Even the photographer was protected by a cloak of agreed-upon anonymity. Shaken by this stark reflection of white privilege and the brutality it sought to minimize, Jan must now reckon with deeply conflicted feelings about the father she loved, find a way to hold her family accountable and face the dawning awareness of her own unconscious racism.
Where To See
7th Annual “Lynching in Maryland” Conference
A panel discussion moderated by Dr. Terry Anne Scott, author of the acclaimed Lynching and Leisure: Race and the Transformation of Mob Violence in Texas, will follow the screening.
The program is offered both in-person and in virtual attendance.
Saturday, November 2, 2024 9:30 AM
The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, Baltimore, MD
Filmmakers
Susanna Styron, Producer/Director
Susanna Styron's feature documentary credits include the award-winning OUT OF MY HEAD and 9/12:FROM CHAOS TO COMMUNITY. Her debut narrative feature, Columbia Pictures' SHADRACH starring Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell, which she co-wrote and directed, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was distributed theatrically worldwide.
Other narrative work includes Sidney Lumet's TV series 100 CENTRE STREET (writer/director), the web series ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE (director) starring Brooke Adams and the award-winning shorts A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER (director) starring Reichard Beymer and Ally Sheedy, and HOUSE OF TEETH (writer/director).
Susanna’s work has been seen in film festivals around the world, in theatrical release, and on such outlets as HBO, Netflix and Amazon, among others.
The Team
Press
MV Times: Uncovering secrets
Susanna Styron’s stirring documentary ‘My Father’s Name’… was a prefect catalyst for the far-ranging panel discussion afterward… about race, reckoning and individual and collective responsibility.
— Abby Remer, MV Times
Press kit
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