“You can’t be what you can’t see. We were told to prepare ourselves to become maids.”
- Dr. Joycelyn Elders on becoming a doctor
Sharecropper to Surgeon General
SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL is a documentary film that tells the extraordinary story of the life and work of Dr. Joycelyn Elders, the daughter of sharecroppers and granddaughter of an escaped slave, who became the first African American woman Surgeon General of the United States.
The film follows Dr. Elders’ incredible journey, which led TIME Magazine to name her “1994 Woman of the Year” and “One of the 100 Most Influential Women of the 20th Century.
Dr. Elders tells us how young Black women had to learn to be “good maids.” She never met a doctor until she was sixteen. “I’d never seen a black doctor in my life,” she says.” She describes the backbreaking work of picking cotton in 115-degree heat and how her family often subsisted on the raccoons and possums she hunted with her father.
She attended the University of Arkansas Medical School as just one of just three Black students. While she went to class with her white classmates, she was not allowed to eat with them in the “whites-only” dining room. Incredibly, Dr. Elders would go on to become the Medical School’s first African American professor.
Dr. Elders’ groundbreaking work, including efforts to reduce teen pregnancy, promote sex education and fight for reproductive freedom, led to her appointment as Arkansas Director of Public Health by then-Governor Bill Clinton; and then Surgeon General when he became President.
Now is a crucial moment for audiences to connect with Dr. Elders’ story. There have been renewed attacks on Reproductive Rights, LGBTQ rights, Women’s Rights, and Voting Rights. And as our country has become more divisive, too many Americans mistakenly believe that segregation and bigotry occurred generations ago. In recent years, seventeen states have either re-written or removed Black History from schools, banning books and authors.
The goal of the project is to reach the broadest possible audience with an emphasis on introducing Dr. Elders to the 109 million Americans in Generation Z and Generation Alpha. The hope is that this film will inspire them to be more engaged in this critical electoral season.
SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL is being produced and directed by an award-winning team of filmmakers with extensive experience working with diverse subjects. Producer/Directors Malcolm Clarke and Stuart Sender have won and been nominated for multiple Academy and Emmy awards. Dr. Sonnee Weedn, whose book “Many Blessings, A Tapestry of African American Women” inspired the project, is a co-producer.
The film has been chosen for distribution by two leading film companies. Roco Films is a distributor for the theatrical market, including eighteen films nominated for Academy Awards. Journeys In Film is a nonprofit organization that educates students about the power of movies, reaching two-million classrooms across the country.
SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL has retained Arkansas’ leading multicultural communications company, The Design Group (TDG). Based in Little Rock, The Design Group is a full-service creative boutique that provides marketing, public relations, and website development to promote the film.
SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL has been awarded a $300,000 Challenge Grant toward completion of the production by the TAWANI Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose founder is Colonel (IL) Jennifer N. Pritzker, IL ARNG (Retired). Contributions will be matched.
We invite you to join us. Please use this link to make a tax-deductible donation to SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL: https://www.4giving.com/donation/BEF3
For questions about SHARECROPPER TO SURGEON GENERAL, please contact Project Manager Dawn E. Robinson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (404) 644-6112.
