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Race riots were a form of nationwide terrorism against Black people, according to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumna and filmmaker Tiffany B. Lee, CEO of Think Black Cultural Media Group and Executive Director of Heritage Programs, Inc. 

Lee, who earned a bachelor’s in psychology from SIUE in 1998 and holds a master’s in communications, has produced a 17-minute documentary short, “I Bear Witness: The Untold Stories of American Race Riots;” and a limited interview series, “I Bear Witness: Freedom Fighters on the Frontlines.” She is producing a full-length, 60-minute documentary, “I Bear Witness: The Untold Stories of Southwest Missouri Race Riots. 

“I wanted my work to move the conversation past the idea of a race riot as being an anomaly and begin the conversation of the race riot as a form of nationwide terrorism against Black people,” said Lee, the East St. Louis native who served as educational co-chair for the 1917 Centennial Commission and Cultural Initiative to commemorate the 1917 East St. Louis Race Riots. “Until we recognize that, only then, can we begin to understand the historical physical, economic, and emotional impact of race riots. We can then also start to look at the lingering effects.” 

“When I served on the Centennial Commission, I remember wondering how many race riots had impacted our community,” explained Lee, also a member of the East St. Louis Historical Society and author. “I began researching and found that there were race riots pre-dating emancipation, from 1812-1930. The information is hard to locate and so many riots have gone undocumented. Many race riots are also written about in isolation.” 

Lee’s documentary short, which she wrote and produced, was shown on Saturday, July 26 at Hi-Pointe Theatre in St. Louis. “I Bear Witness: The Untold Stories of American Race Riots” was also selected for the St. Louis Public Library Film Festival and for the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. A public screening and Q&A is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9 at the Phyllis Wheatley Heritage Center YWCA, located at 2711 Locust St. in St. Louis. 

The interview series, “I Bear Witness: Freedom Fighters on the Frontlines,” delves into the lives of activists who stood on the frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960 and during the uprisings in Ferguson, Mo. The series was aired on STL TV in February 2025 during Black History Month. In June, the series won an Accolade Global Film Award for a documentary series. 

“This series brings together two critical eras in the fight for racial justice and explores the trajectory of Black liberation,” said Lee, who noted the film can be found on her YouTube channel. 

Currently in production is Lee’s full-length documentary, “I Bear Witness: The Untold Stories of Southwest Missouri Race Riots,” is supported by a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council. The film covers race riots in Monett, Pierce City, Joplin and Springfield, Mo. 

“This film unearths a crucial forgotten chapter in American History, exposing how Black communities in Southwest Missouri were systematically terrorized and expelled, from the late 1800s into the early 1900s, said Lee. “This documentary transcends a mere historical retelling. It utilizes this concentrated cluster of racial violence as a powerful lens to scrutinize the very meaning of American citizenship.” 

“We are in full production for this film and have already interviewed some descendants of the race riots,” Lee continued. “We are very excited that Karla McKanders of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, has agreed to be interviewed on the subject of citizenship. This film will explore ideas of citizenship and citizenship denied, which is not only relevant historically, but very timely given what is going on now in our country.” 

The film is expected to be released in spring 2026, which will be the country’s 250th birthday. 

Photo courtesy of Ricky Slaughter of Memories4u:
SIUE alumna and filmmaker Tiffany B. Lee.