Legacy of Love
The love story of Martin and Coretta
Host: Reverend Liz Walker
Produced, Written and Directed by Roberto Mighty
funded by Embrace Boston/The Boston Foundation
LEGACY OF LOVE shows how Martin Luther King, Jr and Coretta Scott met in 1952, fell in love, dreamed a new world together, and resolved to dedicate their union to the civil rights movement. No matter what the cost. Contemporary, fast-paced storytelling includes dramatic reenactments, exclusive interviews, eyewitness accounts, and comments from diverse community leaders. Rave Reviews!
MLK Weekend 2024
Saturday, January 13, 07:30 pm on GBH 44
Sunday, January 14, 07:30 pm on GBH 2
Nationwide, “Local, USA” on WORLD Channel
WBUR The ARTery
Producer Roberto Mighty on WGBH’s “Under The Radar With Callie Crossley” Show
INTERVIEWEES
WCVB TV
Marie St. Fleur, Executive Director of King Boston and Roberto Mighty, Producer of a new documentary entitled ‘Legacy of Love’, depicting the courtship of Dr. King and Coretta Scott King join us as guests. https://www.wcvb.com/article/cityline-sunday-jan-20-2019-remembering-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-king-boston/25936993
Roberto Mighty, Director/Cinematographer; Katelyn Fortes, actress, portraying Coretta Scott; Harry Garo, Actor, portraying Martin Luther King, Jr; 1948 Chevy by Bob Cook
Director’s Statement - Roberto Mighty
“Taking stylistic cues from narrative filmmaking, this documentary will explore the romantic relationship between Coretta Scott and Martin Luther King, Jr. when they met as college students in Boston; where they went and what they were doing in the city; and their dreams for a life of activism and family. From the beginning, they were committed to making the country a better place. In the end, they made the world a better place. The project will show that history and make it relevant to today’s worldwide audiences - utilizing living witnesses, interactive storytelling, immersive new media installation and graphic animation.”
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For the first time on television and modern multimedia, Legacy of Love brings to light the mostly unknown story of Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott’s formative years in 1950’s Boston, where they met as students, fell in love, overcame the odds, and started on the road to becoming worldwide leaders and iconic symbols for the civil rights of people all over the world.
During this period, Martin Luther King earned a PhD from Boston University in systematic theology, deepening his ideas on religion and politics, while also serving on the ministerial staff at a local Black Baptist Church. A lifelong musician, Coretta Scott received a degree in music education in voice and violin from the New England Conservatory of Music, later incorporating song and poetry into her important civil rights work.
Dr. King maintained a significant relationship with the City of Boston, receiving critical support from local religious and political leaders like James Reeb, the Unitarian Universalist minister who was murdered during the voting rights demonstrations in Selma; Professor Howard Thurman, the first Black Dean at Boston University’s Marsh Chapel and the man widely credited with introducing King to Mohandas Ghandi’s concept of nonviolent resistance; and Reverend Michael Haynes, Pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church in Roxbury where King was Assistant Pastor.
In later years, King deposited archival material for future research at Boston University; Coretta Scott King was awarded an honorary doctorate from the New England Conservatory of Music, and in 1965, Dr. King testified before the Massachusetts Legislature and held a march from the South End to the Boston Common where he spoke on civil rights.
FUNDERS
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Funding by Embrace Boston and The Boston Foundation
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Interviewees and Commentators
Reverend Dr. Michael Haynes, Twelfth Baptist Church
Pastor Gerald Arthur, Twelfth Baptist Church
Martin J. Walsh, Mayor of Boston
Rabbi Elaine Zecher, Temple Israel
Imam Yasir Fahmy, Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center
Michelle Wu, Boston City Councilor
Pastor Dr. Gloria White-Hammond, Bethel A.M.E. Church
Pastor Dr. Ray Hammond, Bethel A.M.E. Church
Reverend Willie Bodrick, Twelfth Baptist Church
Raquel Ortiz, Public Television Producer/Host
Leoner Woodson
Lester Vaughn Williams
Professor Jewelle Taylor Gibbs
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Consulting Scholars
Walter E. Fluker, Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of Ethical Leadership, Boston University
Clayborne Carson, Martin Luther King, Jr. Centennial Professor of History, Stanford University
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FILM CREDITS
Producer/Writer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor
Roberto Mighty
Host
Reverend Liz Walker
SPECIAL THANKS
Paul English
Imari Paris Jeffries
Marie St. Fleur
Miles B. Smith
Steve Marx
Thomas Novak
Maryalice Perrin-Mohr
Alan Karass, PhD
Hank Mou
Boston City Council
Reverend Jeff Brown
Mrs. Clara Bell
Sidney Burton
Truman Chen
Meghan E. Irons
Paul Glass
Dale Patterson
Pastor Wesley A. Roberts
Louis Elisa
Sheldon Steele
John Tonello
DRAMATIZATIONS
Young Coretta Scott: Katelyn Fortes
Young Martin Luther King, Jr: Harry Garo
Voice of fictional memoirist: Dayenne CB Walters
Coretta’s Benefactor: Verna Hampton
Casting: Slate Casting
Costumer: Laura Lynn Bill
Set Photographer/PA: Shawn Read
Makeup Artist: Pauline Chew Antoine
Historic Automobile: Robert Cook
FILM CREW
Director of Photography/Cinematographer: Roberto Mighty
Field Sound/Grip: Richard Fomo
Field Sound/Grip: Lynn Weissman
Grip: Brian Galford
Production Assistant: Anson Fraser
Production Assistant: Donald Rockhead
Portrait Illustrator: Carlos W. Byron
Trailer Announcer: Naheem Garcia
4K Cameras, Studio & Editing Facilities: Celestial Media LLC
Narration Sound Facilities: WGBH, Doug Shugarts, Sound Engineer
Makeup Artist for Rev. Walker: Phoebe Ramler
Studio Facility for selected Host Segments: BNN Charles J. Beard II Media Center
Transcripts: GoTranscript.com
ARCHIVAL MATERIALS
Antioch College
AP Photo
Archive.org
Boston Herald
Boston Planning & Development Agency
Boston Public Library
Crozer Theological Seminary
Dillard University
Freedom House
Getty Images
Howard University
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
MIT Libraries Kepes-Lynch Photograph Collection
Morehouse College
New England Conservatory of Music
Northeastern University Snell Library
Prelinger Archive
Stanford University Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
US Library of Congress
WPA Film Library
MUSIC
“Lift Every Voice and Sing”
by J. Rosamond Johnson
and James Weldon Johnson
Pianist: Jonathan Singleton
Recorded at Celestial Media Studio
MUSIC
“Our Piece Of The World (V4)”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“For Jerry”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Will You Be There When He Comes”
Artist: Edward Grenga, Charles Lawry, Douglas Stevens, & Michael McMahon
Pro: ASCAP
Publisher: SI Publishing
Publisher PRO: SOCAN
Courtesy Audioblocks
“dancin in church short”
Artist: John Martin Camp
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Soundscape Media
Publisher PRO: SOCAN
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Sweet Life”
Artist: Gregory Sims
Pro: ASCAP
Publisher: MST Publishing
Publisher PRO: ASCAP
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Lonely Piano (V4)”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Our Fathers”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“The Prodigal Returns”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Gospel Jazz”
Artist: Bobby Cole
Pro: PRS
Publisher: SI Publishing
Publisher PRO: SOCAN
Courtesy Audioblocks
“I Will Sing”
Artist: Marcus Cohen, Sherry Marcus
Pro: ASCAP, BMI
Publisher: Soundscape Audioworks / Soundscape Media
Publisher PRO: SOCAN
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Rolling River (V4)”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Tense Hours”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Shang Tzu Dream”
Artist: Robert Gacek
Pro: None
Publisher: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Double Helix Short Version”
Artist: Zac Nelson
Pro: None
Publisher: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“The Prodigal Returns”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Tension Building”
Artist: Bruce Zimmerman
Pro: ASCAP
Publisher: ImageCollect Publishing
Publisher PRO: ASCAP
Courtesy Audioblocks
“Triumphant Return (V2)”
Artist: Patrick Smith
Pro: BMI
Publisher: Electric Philharmonic
Publisher PRO: None
Courtesy Audioblocks
©2023 Roberto Mighty
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CAST & CREW
Roberto Mighty, MFA
Writer, Producer, Director, Cinematographer and Editor, Legacy of Love — Roberto Mighty is an award-winning filmmaker, TV producer, multimedia artist, educator and musician.
Roberto is currently producing, writing and hosting two original series on nationwide public television: “World’s Greatest Cemeteries”, a travel program about history, diversity and landscape; and “getting dot OLDER”, a docu-talk series featuring intimate, personal revelations about aging from people fifty plus.
Roberto’s works include films, residencies and exhibitions at Harvard University, The National Science Foundation, and film festivals. He is America’s first Artist-in-Residence at a National Historic Landmark cemetery. Mr. Mighty taught cinematography, editing and video production at Boston University and Emerson College.
Pauline Chew Antoine
Makeup Artist, Legacy of Love — Pauline Chew Antoine is a licensed freelance makeup artist and hair stylist dedicated and committed to making every client look their absolute best. She has 20+ years of experience in corporate videos, tv , commercial and print. Pauline has a strong work ethic, great attitude and the ability to put the talent at ease and ready for the day ahead.
Laura Bill
Costume Designer, Legacy of Love — "My name is Laura Bill, I grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts and growing up was always interested in art and fashion. I went to Massachusetts College of Art and Design, where I studied Fashion Design, doing internships at the Boston Ballet and Sondra Celli Designs. Working at the Ballet changed where I thought I wanted my career to go, I loved it so much. A few years after graduation, I began working in Costume Design in film and television locally in Boston. And a few years after that, I met Roberto and had the opportunity to be the Costume Designer for Legacy of Love! When I'm not working, I love to go thrift shopping, antiquing and spend time with my boyfriend and cat!"
Carlos W. Byron
Original Illustrations, Legacy of Love — Carlos a photographer, illustrator, portraitist, and calligrapher. Carlos started his art career as a fashion designer of negligees and lingerie for Paul Valentine’s House of Valentine. His clients have included Black Enterprise, National Review, USA TODAY, FreedomWay Magazine (Illustration), and McGraw Hill, Lippincott and Son, Payne Whitney Clinic and the Bronx Zoo (Medical Illustration). As executive art director at Great American Screen Design, he developed and popularized the first techniques for printing on black t-shirts. He was in the first exhibit of Black artists at the Brooklyn Museum (The Free Art Movement, late 70s) and was Artist-In Residence from 2003 – 2005 at the National Center for African American Artists in Boston where he had a major retrospective of his work (Carlos W. Byron, Renaissance Man, 1994). His work is in the collections of Black Enterprise, Bristol Meyers (awarded One of America’s Most Talented Black Artist, 1980), Lemuel Shattuck Hospital, Samaritan Halfway Society, The National Center for African American Artists, and others. He is the founder of The Society of Scribes, a New York-based organization for promotion of calligraphy and calligraphers.
Bob Cook
Antique Car Supplier, Legacy of Love — I was born in Worcester, MA and raised in Whitinsville and Sutton, Massachusetts. I have a college degree in Business Management and worked for 35 years as a Senior Vice President for First American Realty, Inc which is a real estate management firm in Worcester. I spent two years of active duty in the U S Navy (Petty Officer 2nd Class) and another four years in the reserves. I am married (to the same woman) for the past almost 55 years (Nov 1967) and have two grown children and four grandchildren. I retired at age 73 in May of 2019. One of my main hobbies is the collecting and working on antique cars of the 1930's to the 1960's. Other hobbies are coin and stamp collecting. I love spending time with the grandchildren. My 1951 Chevrolet was used in this film. I presently have five other antique cars. www.efcfit.com
Richard Fomo
Grip/Sound, Legacy of Love — Richard Fomo Productions LLC is a Massachusetts-based vendor of audio and video production services for business, industry, the arts and broadcast television. For more information, visit https://fomovideo.com
Katelyn Fortes
Actress(Coretta Scott), Legacy of Love — Katelyn L. Fortes is a 30 year-old Boston based actress and model. Katelyn is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and has appeared in major motion pictures Ted, Black Mass and Zookeeper. Katelyn has modeled on the runway and in print throughout the United States and Europe. She has been on the covers of both Version Femina and Miss Ebene (France). Katelyn is also a veteran of the stage, appearing in the Boston Ballet's "Nutcracker." Most recently, she has appeared as Coretta Scott King in "Legacy of Love", a critically-acclaimed PBS documentary directed by Roberto Mighty. Katelyn is a graduate of Oliver Ames High School in Easton, MA where she was an all-scholastic member of the women's Varsity Track team. Katelyn enjoys history, exercise, the outdoors and her 3 year-old Weimaraner Maverick.
Anson Frazier Jr
Production Assistant, Legacy of Love — Anson Frazier Jr is a multi-disciplinary artist that combines illustration, photography, public installation and music under the stage name "ANSON RAP$". His vision is to radically shift social norm beliefs and engage change inside-out. He has performed at the Museum of Fine Arts, City Winery, Brighton Music Hall and has been featured in the Boston Globe. RAP$ is a 2021 Live Arts Boston grant recipient and is set to perform a spatial audio live performance in summer 2022. https://linktr.ee/ANSONRAPS
Brian Galford
Grip/Sound, Legacy of Love —An Emmy and Telly-award winner, Brian Galford has been involved in writing, shooting and editing video since 1984.
Naheem Garcia
Announcer, Legacy of Love — Naheem Garcia arrived in Boston from Cuba in 1968. He is the Founder and Lead Teaching Artist for NG edutainment, an Arts Education Program, founded in Boston Massachusetts. He has been a teaching artist and a member of the Huntington Theatre Company’s Education Department, for close to 30 years. He is currently the Speaker in Residents for the METCO Program at Sharon High School, Sharon, MA and is doing workshops with the Boston Police Department’s youth program, Acting Up With the 5-0 program, as well as, Salva Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. He is a member of AFTRA-SAG, New England and as a professional actor, he has appeared in several prominent Hollywood feature films, TV, local and national commercials. www.naheemgarcia.com
Harry Garo
Actor, Legacy of Love — (Martin Luther King, Jr) Harry was born in Honduras and graduated in theatre from the Boston Arts Academy, with several lead roles to his name, including The Language of the Human Race, A Soldier’s Play and Fuente Ovejuna. He has been working in Boston while taking acting classes, at Company One, he appeared in the Showcase at the Plaza Theatre in The MotherF***er with a Hat, and The Unloved. Consequently, he also participated in The Showcase of New Work by Boston Playwrights at the Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. In 2017 he played the role of Valdez in Jesus Hoped the A Train for Praxis stage. Harry has also participated on several onscreen independent projects like the web series The Pineapple Diaries seasons 1 and 2 and the pilot series The New York Effect.
Verna Hampton
Actor, Legacy of Love — (Coretta Scott’s benefactor), Actor, Musician, Writer, Teaching Artist. An award-winning Actor and Educator Verna is the Author of 'Sister FM Diva: Poetry Inna Mi Yahd' ( Uncle B. Publications) and Nominee for the prestigious, 2022, Pushcart Prize, a literary award for excellence. Verna is the Lead Singer for 'Big Redd's House' and author of the 'Jazzmus 2022:Conscious Cabaret' performance series which just premiered at Hibernian Hall in Boston. Her 'Jazzmus 2018: Conscious Cabaret ' was a part of the 2018 Tony Award-Winning season 'Best Regional Theater' at La MaMa E.T.C. in New York City. She was a part of the Creative Team for The Bronx Community College's "Fridays at the College" project. During her Henry Street Settlement affiliation as Teaching Artist, Theater Director, and Commissioned Playwright, Verna was the recipient of the first Spirit of Anne Frank Award for Education. Verna also wrote for Comedians Paul Mooney and Ellen Clegehorne on their WBLS morning radio show in NYC.
Julie Arvedon Knowlton
Casting, Legacy of Love — Julie provided casting services for the role of young Coretta Scott King, and brought Katelyn Fortes to Roberto’s attention. A casting director and co-owner of Slate Casting, Julie Arvedon Knowlton has been working in casting, publicity, marketing, and video production in Boston for over 25 years. Julie specializes in casting for commercials, corporate industrials, voice overs and independent films. Theater is definitely her passion and she is constantly scouting the local theater scene for new talent in New England. In addition to casting, Julie handles publicity for Slate Casting and has worked for several area theater companies. A graduate of Syracuse University and the past president of the International Television Association, Julie has also taught on-camera acting at Salem State University, and was the PR Director at North Shore Music Theatre.
Shawn Read
Shawn Read has been a storyteller since elementary school, first with words and a typewriter, and now with photographs and Final Cut Pro. He lived in Okayama, Japan for eleven years where he got married in a Samurai garden, studied zen, and picked up both the travel and photography bugs. He is currently a remote media producer in his day job, telling corporate stories for social media, and in his free time he shoots editorial portraiture, corporate head shots, and multimedia under his Grandfather’s photography studio name, L.B. Read Photography.
Jonathan Singleton
Musician, Legacy of Love — Jonathan Singleton created and performed an original keyboard rendition of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing” for Legacy of Love. He is active in the Boston area as a keyboardist, choral director and arranger. He is currently on the faculty of Berklee College of music, Minister of Music at the Historic Twelfth Baptist Church and director of the Sharing A New Song Community Chorus. Through all these endeavors Jonathan seeks to share his love for music and build connections across racial, cultural and geographic boundaries!
Dayenne CB Walters
Voice Actor, Legacy of Love — (Voiceover: a friend of Coretta’s) is a Boston-based actor and playwright. She recently appeared in the WGBH 2022 series, getting dot older (Roberto Mighty, Producer/Director - Celestial Media LLC, Public TV)). She played lead roles in several 2021 theatrical productions: Smoked Oysters, by Mary McCullough (Dawn Meredith Simmons, Director/Theatre at Hibernian Hall), the short film The Slave Narrative of Willie Mae, written and directed by Ifé Franklin (Rhythm Visions Productions/The Indigo Project), and the Boston 24-Hour Theatre Marathon production of 178 Ludlow Street, by Cayenne Douglas (Jess Ernst, Director/Sleeping Weazel Theater). Her play, The Outside World (Daniel Martin, Director) was part of the 2021 Road Theater Summer Playwrights Festival and selected as a Festival Favorite.
Lynn Weissman
Grip/Sound, Legacy of Love — Lynn Weissman is an award winning DP/Cinematographer with a penchant for lighting and grip. Her work has aired on major networks including PBS, HBO, Discovery+, and has screened and won awards in film festivals worldwide. More about Lynn Weissman at WeisswomanProductions.com and imdb.com/name/nm2363120/