Aura Wharton-Beck, associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership at the University of St. Thomas, is currently participating in the Six-Week Documentary Workshop at the New York Film Academy after receiving a grant from the Raymond J. Christensen Foundation. The program trains participants in the principles, techniques and craft of documentary filmmaking through both study and hands-on production.
Wharton-Beck is pursuing the opportunity while on sabbatical from St. Thomas, where she serves as associate professor of educational leadership and director of administrative licenses. In that role, she helps prepare current and future education leaders, overseeing programs that support licensure for K-12 administrators, directors of special education and school superintendents.
Her documentary work centers on an often-overlooked chapter of American history. Wharton-Beck is currently developing Indelible Narratives: African American Government Girls of WWII, a 30-minute documentary exploring the stories of young Black women who began working for the United States federal government during and after World War II.
Through the film, she aims to illuminate the contributions and lived experiences of the African American “Government Girls,” whose work helped shape federal institutions at a pivotal moment in the nation’s history.
