Some may think that the civil rights movement happened only in the South.

	John Beale, Post-Gazette Helen Faison the Pittsburgh Public School District's first female high school principal and its first African-American high school principal, is among the local civil rights figures featured in the documentary "Torchbearers: The Story of Pittsburgh's Freedom Fighters." Click photo for larger image.

They would be wrong.

Pittsburgh was the scene of many civil rights battles. Thursday night's premiere screening of the documentary "Torchbearers: The Story of Pittsburgh's Freedom Fighters" highlighted some of the men and women who fought them.

A special screening of the film, produced by WQED and sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh with support from the African American Chamber of Commerce, was held at the Twentieth Century Club in Oakland.

The documentary uses archival video footage and photographs to show how Pittsburghers put their lives on the line to integrate public facilities, open up job opportunities and improve the quality of life for African-Americans. Dr. Laurence Glasco, associate professor of history at the University of Pittsburgh, lends his insights in the film. "Torchbearers" is narrated by WQED's Chris Moore, who co-produced the project with WQED senior producer Minette Seate.

"For me it was an opportunity to say 'thank you' to the people who made my career possible," Seate said.

The freedom fighters in the documentary who attended the screening are:

Annie O'Neill, Post-Gazette Lawyer Wendell Freeland, a Tuskegee Airman in World War II, is also featured in "Torchbearers." Click photo for larger image.

Regis Bobonis Sr., the first African-American reporter at the Post-Gazette and former manager of public affairs for Duquesne Light; Herbert Douglas Jr., the 1948 Olympic bronze medalist in the long jump and a member of the first integrated University of Pittsburgh football team; Helen Faison, the Pittsburgh Public School District's first female high school principal as well as its first African-American high school principal; lawyer Wendell Freeland, a Tuskegee Airman in World War II; Robert Lavelle, president of Lavelle Real Estate Inc. and executive vice president of Dwelling House Savings and Loan Association, which has assisted minority families with mortgage loans; Thelma Lovette, the grande dame of Pittsburgh civil rights; the Rev. James "Jimmy Joe" Robinson, co-founder of the Manchester Youth Development Center and the first African American to play football for Pitt; Alma Speed Fox, past president of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the NAACP; and Judge Livingstone Johnson.

The Rev. Dr. LeRoy Patrick, also featured in the film, died six days after being interviewed for the project.

Faison said the reason for her trailblazing efforts in the Pittsburgh Public School District was that she felt she owed something to the students where she worked.

"I didn't feel I was a heroine or anything," she said. "I was just doing what was my responsibility."

Freeland said those featured in the film were worthy of the honor, as are all people who were part of the movement.

Faison thought the film "was very well done," and Robinson said, "They really did a good job dealing with Pittsburgh and history and helping people get an idea of what happened."

Bobonis added that he was "overwhelmed" by the documentary -- not by his individual achievement but by the sweep of the historical events that took place.

"I think it comes together as a whole, and what a dramatic story it is."

In introducing the film, Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg said that while the civil rights movement rose to a level of national attention between the 1950s and 1970s, "the action and roots of the movement were local."

"[The documentary] reminds us of the integral part played by Pittsburgh in the national movement," he added.

George Miles, president and CEO of WQED Multimedia and a Pitt trustee, said the station had been trying to do the project for a number of years and that it would not have happened if Nordenberg and the African American Chamber of Commerce had not stepped up.

He said the civil rights movement in the United States has inspired people all over the world and demonstrated "if you're willing and if you're able to put your life on the line, you can make a difference."

"Torchbearers: The Story of Pittsburgh's Freedom Fighters" will be rebroadcast at noon tomorrow on WQED-TV.