Streaming Globally on Prime Video
ABOUT THE DOCUMENTARY
From Academy-Award Nominee Raoul Peck, Silver Dollar Road follows the story of the Reels family as told by the matriarch Mamie Reels Ellison and her niece Kim Renee Duhon, two fierce women defending their rights and fighting to protect their ancestor's land and their brothers and uncles Melvin and Licurtis, who were imprisoned for eight years - the longest sentence for civil contempt in North Carolina history.
This documentary, based on the 2019 ProPublica-New Yorker article, highlights the ways the legal system is exploited to limit land ownership in the Black community and further contributes to the racial wealth gap.
WATCH THE TRAILER
message from the family
“Silver Dollar Road" is a story that reveals our decades-long battle to save our family's land. We are excited to share our story with you with the hopes that it will showcase the importance of family and encourage you to use your collective power to stand up for what you believe is right. Please watch, learn and decide how you'd like to use your voice to make a difference.”
- Reels Family
The Reels Family, Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Silver Dollar Road, Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Gertrude in her living room overlooking the shoreline. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Gertrude's yard, near the trailers of relatives. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Melvin Davis, Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Melvin’s club, Fantasy Island, still stands on the 13-acre plot. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Licurtis, on his mother’s porch, with his former house behind him. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Debris on the beach. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
Licurtis Reels, left, and Melvin Davis. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
On the land. Photographer: Wayne Lawrence
messages from the TEAM
RAOUL PECK
director
“Land is everything: it not only sustains generations but family land – sometimes with trees, sometimes with a river running through it, inhabited by memories, childhood, and adult memories – is what this country was founded on. Any attack on this ancestral property becomes an attack on your own identity. And as Melvin likes to say, “this won’t fly”. And whoever has a bit of dignity, will righteously fight against all odds to preserve this identity.”
VIOLA DAVIS | JULIUS TENNON
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
“The Reels Family was focused and serious about their inheritance. Their bravery and determination was driven by a passionate need to protect their legacy.
Untold stories of Black land loss are countless, and we hope this film reveals that legacy and inheritance are not just the privilege and provenance of the wealthy, but a basic human right.”
LIZZIE PRESSER
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERs
“The vulnerabilities inherent to heirs property are a driving factor of wealth inequality in this country.
If we’re serious about addressing wealth and equality in this country, one place that we must be looking is land and land ownership and making sure that those titles are clear and that families have access to their land and access to the resources in their land.”
AS SEEN at the
IN COLLABORATION WITH
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Take Action
Land dispossession is not just about the loss of land; it's about the loss of legacy, culture, and the opportunity for generational wealth. Together, by educating ourselves, advocating, and taking action, we can help protect vulnerable families and build a more just and equitable future.
Watch the documentary to learn more about the story of Silver Dollar Road.
Take our free digital course to learn how to protect your land and assets for generations to come.
Get involved, write/call local legislatives.