Juneteenth, 2024
Community involvement is at the heart of Stewart Law Offices. Our law firm recently had an opportunity to support minority business leaders on Juneteenth, 2024. We are proud that we could assist in bringing a true historical and artistic work, Bull Street, to the local community. By sponsoring movie ticket purchases for local senior citizens, we ensured that the heartwarming story of Bull Street, with its local references to the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, Winthrop University, and other regional sites, was accessible to all, fostering a sense of community and shared experience.
Sponsorship of the Minority Business Leaders Network
The Minority Business Leaders Network’s Rock Hill division recently supported a new film, Bull Street, written, directed, and produced by Lynn Dow, a Sumter, South Carolina native. Bull Street was shot in Summerton, SC and tells the story of a woman sent to Columbia’s Bull Street Asylum and her grandmother, played by Loretta Devine, who are facing eviction from their family home in small town, South Carolina. The film tackles difficult subject matters, including mental illness, family dynamics, racial tensions, an imbalanced power structure in the Southern legal system, and the complexities of generational wealth.
The movie was filmed in Summerton, where the historic Briggs v. Elliott desegregation lawsuit was filed. This case, a pivotal moment in our nation’s history, was later brought into the landmark Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, which ultimately held segregation to be unconstitutional, finding that separate treatment was inherently unequal. The momentous decision led to school integration in South Carolina and the rest of the country.
Filming of Bull Street lasted 18 days, and the movie received a lot of support from the local community, which provided props, sets, and a few locals who appeared as extras throughout the film. It also received support from the SC Film Commission.
The independent movie premiered June 7, 2024 and was released at Regal Theaters throughout the state. A one-day screening occurred at The Nick on Columbia’s Main Street. Sumter’s Beacon Theater also provided a showing.
Stewart Law Offices helped with the event by purchasing 150 movie tickets for senior citizens to watch the heartfelt film. Community members came out to see the film and loved the local references to Bull Street, Winthrop University, and other regional sites. The Minority Business Leader’s Network captured photos of the event and the reactions of moviegoers.
Stewart Law Offices is proud of supporting this recent venture and our community’s rich history. By supporting Bull Street, we were able to contribute to the preservation and dissemination of this important history. We are proud to be part of a community that is so willing to come together and support such important cultural endeavors. Giving back is fundamental to our purpose as community leaders, as is our unwavering commitment to client service.
