Luana M Graves Sellars

Harriet Tubman | From the railroad to a Spy (2022 - 2023)
Documentary by Lowcountry Gullah (Biography, Documentary and Period Piece) Producer / Director / Writer Little is known about Tubman’s work outside of the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she was in Beaufort County, South Carolina assisting in Union Army operations behind, as well as on the front line of battle. Among Tubman’s most notable wartime feats was that of June 2, 1863, where she participated in the planning and led Union troops from the 2nd South Carolina Infantry on a raid along the Combahee River. The operation was a pivotal and strategic victory for the Union Army and freed more than 750 enslaved people, making it the largest emancipation event of the Civil War. Colonel James Montgomery, commander of the regiment, later noted Tubman as “a most remarkable woman, and invaluable as a scout.” Harriet Tubman | From the Railroad to a Spy is an epic documentary that tells her complete story. Journey through the events and details of her incredible life story that are seldom told; from the underground railroad, to her work as a Union Army scout and spy in military campaigns from South Carolina to Florida.

Colored Troops of the Civil War | Courage. Determination. Survival. (2022 - 2023)
Documentary by Lowcountry Gullah Producer / Director / Writer The documentary, Colored Troops of the Civil War | Courage. Determination. Survival. highlights the extraordinary contributions of the formerly enslaved Black soldiers who risked their lives to enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War and demonstrated incredible dedication and loyalty to fight for and to become part of a nation that they could call their own. Individual stories of courage, their impact, and of the origin of the US Colored Troops (USCT) and their impressive wartime contributions, have not been told from a perspective that valued their valor, in addition to the success that their participation provided in changing the course of the Civil War, which divided the nation over slavery. The USCT story is very complex. Initially the rationale behind folding the formerly enslaved into the ranks as soldiers was multifaceted. In an effort to obtain victory, the Union Army needed to increase troop numbers and the enslaved could offer an enormous boost to their numbers. Both free and formerly enslaved Blacks stepped up to the challenge and risked their lives for the opportunity to be emancipated. Untold stories of heroics and determination, courage, loyalty and a fierce desire to survive, despite the incredible odds and adversity that was thrust against the USCTs only reinforces the need for the legacy that they left behind to be shared and their stories to be told.