BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is recognized on Jan. 20, 2025. In honor of King’s civil rights work to create justice for all, Bellows Falls Films will kick off its ongoing independent filmmaker series on Jan. 20, at 7 p.m., with a 2004 film by Dr. Larry Benaquist and Dr. Bill Sullivan, formerly of Keene State College. “Here Am I, Send Me: The Journey of Jonathan Daniels” has been shown hundreds of times over the last 20 years as an example of one man’s courage in the face of sacrifice.
Daniels grew up in Keene, N.H., and joined the NAACP in 1963. One year later, as a 26-year-old seminary student, he traveled south to join King’s call to help register African American voters in Alabama. He befriended many others who were committed to the Civil Rights Movement, including 17-year-old Ruby Sales, a young black woman who worked side-by-side with Daniels. But, in 1965, he was killed by Tom Coleman, a highway worker and part-time deputy sheriff, in Hayneville, Ala., while shielding Sales, thus saving her life while sacrificing his own. Dr. King went on to acknowledge Daniels by stating, “One of the most heroic Christian deeds of which I have heard in my entire ministry and career for civil rights was performed by Jonathan Daniels.” In 1991, Daniels was designated as a martyr in the Episcopal Church, and is recognized annually in its calendar.
Filmmaker Benaquist will attend the screening, and conduct a Q&A following the 80-minute film, told largely in Daniels’ own words. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the film begins at 7 p.m. Ticket sales will be handled through the Bellows Falls Opera House website, www.bellowsfallsoperahouse.com.