A new film entitled Sugarcoated Arsenic details the African American experience at the University of Virginia in the 1970s. The film project was co-created by Kevin Jerome Everson, professor in the department of art and Claudrena Harold an associate professor of history at the university. The film tells the story of Vivian Verdell Gordon, director of the Black studies program at the University of Virginia from 1975 to 1980.
Professor Gordon is portrayed in the film by Erin Stewart, a professional actress who is a graduate of the University of Virginia. Students were outfitted in 1970s-style clothing to appear in the film as extras.
