“Othello Wilson: Let Your Light Shine,” a documentary produced by Jonathan Page on how an African-American educator in Nelson County led his students to become international successes almost a century ago, will be screened at Oak Hill Baptist Church in Massies Mill on Monday, July 14 at 6:30 p.m., and on Tuesday, July 15, at 1 p.m. at Rockfish Valley Community Center in Afton.
The screenings will be followed by a live Q&A with Page, as well as performances by LEAD Cooperative students. The events are co-sponsored by Wintergreen Music, the Nelson County Historical Society, and Oak Hill Baptist Church.
An African-American teacher, principal and musician who organized a student choir at Oak Hill School in Massies Mill in the 1930s, Wilson left a legacy that still is inspiring others.
“In the 1930s, Othello Wilson sparked a cultural and educational renaissance in one rural Virginia community for its struggling black citizens affected by Jim Crow laws and the Great Depression,” a short synopsis of the film states.
Page was inspired by Wilson for the first time when he read an undergraduate thesis written about him by his mother, Barbara Page, while she was a student at Sweet Briar College.
“It was such a compelling story. … Just to see where they came from and to see what they became, it really touched me,” said Jonathan Page, who grew up in Piney River and graduated from Nelson County High School and holds a degree from James Madison University in Music Industry and now lives in New York City.
The 30-minute documentary tells the story of Wilson, who created a student choir that went on to sing on CBS radio in New York, then tour throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
The tour gave Nelson County recognition around the globe.
Page uses recordings of the choir in the documentary, and believes the group would have achieved even greater fame if they had been able to use today’s technology.
At first, the biggest challenge Page faced was finding students who attended Oak Hill School and worked under Wilson about 80 years ago.
But once Page found them, they had numerous stories to share. Then, it was a matter of condensing 15 to 16 hours of interview footage into a half-hour film.
He relied on guidance from his mother and Wilson’s wife, Dr. Nancy Wilson, but mostly worked on the documentary as a solo project.
Page said Wilson and his choir’s accomplishments provide important life lessons: “to make the best of your situation,” and the titular concept, to set a glowing standard, or to “Let Your Light Shine.”
The events are free and open to the public. Oak Hill Baptist Church is located at 382 Level Green Road in Massies Mill. The Rockfish Valley Community Center is located at 190 Rockfish School Lane in Afton.
