Witnessing History Education Foundation Inc

TO EDUCATE AND INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN HISTORY THROUGH DOCUMENTARY FILM PRODUCTION, TOURS, LECTURES, SEMINARS, ARTICLES AND OTHER MEDIA.

ALTHOUGH 2020 WAS A VERY DIFFICULT YEAR FOR THE WITNESSING HISTORY EDUCATION FOUNDATION, INC. (WHEF) DUE TO THE COVID PANDEMIC AND THE GOVERNOR'S LOCKDOWN OF ALL BUSINESS IN KENTUCKY, 2021 PROVED TO BE EVEN MORE DIFFICULT AS THE STATE REMAINED LOCKED DOWN THROUGH MUCH OF THE YEAR. IN 2021, WHEF'S LARGEST GRANT WAS FROM A STATE AGENCY IN THE AMOUNT OF $8,550. INDIVIDUALS CONTRIBUTED $76,758 IN SMALL AMOUNTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. WHAT ENABLED WHEF TO GET THROUGH THE FIRST HALF OF 2021 WAS A $100,000 GRANT FROM THE DUBOSE FOUNDATION IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA IN NOVEMBER 2020. THAT GRANT ENABLED MR. BROWN TO RESEARCH AND WRITE THE SCRIPT TO "THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD, THE COMING OF THE REVOLUTION, COLONIAL AMERICA TO 1775", BY THE END OF 2020. MR. BROWN WORKED TIRELESSLY TO FUNDRAISE FOR WHEF THROUGHOUT 2021 BY MEANS OF ZOOM MEETINGS AND BY TRAVEL AND PERSONAL APPEARANCES WITH POTENTIAL DONORS, INCLUDING A TRIP TO ATLANTA IN SEPTEMBER FOR A SPEECH AND TO MEET WITH THE DUBOSE FAMILY, THE LARGEST SINGLE DONOR OF THE FOUNDATION, AND THREE SEPARATE TRIPS TO VIRGINIA TO MEET WITH A POTENTIAL DONOR AND BOARD MEMBER.

FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2018, WHEF PLANNED A TOUR IN 2021, AN EVENT LOVED BY THE SUBSCRIBERS OF THE FOUNDATION'S NEWSLETTER. THIS TIME, THE TOUR INVOLVED VISITS TO KENTUCKY CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS AND RELATED HISTORIC SITES. IT WAS PLANNED FOR SEPTEMBER 2021 AND ANNOUNCED IN JUNE. UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS POSTPONED BECAUSE OF A COVID OUTBREAK IN SEPTEMBER THAT CLOSED ONE OF THE SITES, THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIRTHPLACE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE. IT WAS RESCHEDULED FOR APRILL 2022, ALTHOUGH WHEF RAISED FUNDS AND HAD EXPENSES IN 2021 RELATING TO TRAVEL BY MR. BROWN TO THE BATTLEFIELDS OF MUNFORDVILLE AND PERRYVILLE, AND TO THE ABRAHAM LINCOLN BIRTHPLACE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE NEAR THE TOWN OF HODGENVILLE, IN AUGUST. THOSE TRIPS WERE "SITE VISITS" DESIGNED TO MAKE SURE THE PERSONNEL AT EACH HISTORIC SITE UNDERSTOOD THE WHEF PLANS AND COULD ACCOMODATE THE NUMBER OF SIGNUPS. BY THEN, FIFTY PEOPLE HAD SIGNED UP FOR THE TOUR.

PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY DOCUMENTARY FILMS ON AMERICAN HISTORY FOR PUBLIC AND CABLE TELEVISION AND STREAMING CHANNELS IS THE FUNDAMENTAL MISSION OF WHEF. THE PANDEMIC AND RELATED LOCKDOWN SEVERLY CURTAILED FILMMAKING IN 2020 AND 2021. NEVERTHELESS, IN JUNE 2021, WHEF LICENSED SOME FIFTEEN HIGH RESOLUTION IMAGES-ALL MAGNIFICENT POTRAITS OF NOTED BOSTONIANS RENDERED BY ARTIST JOHN SINGLETON COPLEY FOR ITS CURRENT PROJECT, "THE SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD, THE COMING OF THE REVOLUTION, COLONIAL AMERICA TO 1775" FROM THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON. MR. BROWN WORKED TO REFINE THE SCRIPT FOR THE FILM. THEN, IN NOVEMBER, HE VOICED OVER THE ENTRIE SCRIPT AT DYNAMIX STUDIOS IN LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY. THAT VOICE OVER WAS THEN FORWARDED TO THE WHEF FILM EDITOR, CHRIS YELTON, AS IT WOULD FORM THE BASIS FOR HIS EDITING OF THE FILM. THE CONTINUED LOCKDOWN, AND THE NEED FOR THE NECESSARY FUNDING, BARRED THE ACTUAL EDITING OF THE FILM TO BEGIN.