Walk with Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith (2016)

He fought for a nation that denied him his rights. Then he fought to change it. When Judge Damon J. Keith was just "Damon," he enlisted in a segregated army hoping that the camaraderie of patriotism would transcend the racism he had known in his early life. That didn't happen. He was restricted to kitchen duties and then, upon his return from service, was granted fewer civil rights than Nazi POWs. Judge Keith cites this as the time in his life when he was most angry; when he felt most disillusioned with the country he had served and continues to serve to this day. Walk With Me follows America's journey from the time of a segregated army to the time of an African American president, as seen through the eyes of a man who helped make that transition possible. As the title of the film implies, Judge Keith will take viewers through many of the locations that played a role in both his personal story and historic events that shaped the nation. From Tiger Stadium where he introduced Nelson Mandela to Detroit and Howard University where he was mentored by Thurgood Marshall, to the bus made famous by his friend Rosa Parks, Judge Keith will shed light on a variety of events, people and court cases that changed civil rights in America. Judge Keith comes from a school of primarily African American jurisprudence that strongly supports the notion that justice and equality should be actively sought from the bench. This film will record the first hand accounts of history that Judge Keith can provide, and allow an audience to take him up on his invitation and literally "Walk with Me" through the tumultuous events he has witnessed. Walk With Me will also use Judge Keith's life as a window into the question: Can and should judges use their power to actively work for justice, equality, or any issue of personal significance? Now 91, and still on the US Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit, Judge Keith will take us back to the places, people and experiences that influenced his remarkable life and his most pivotal decision and provide a look behind the scenes at some of the most influential legal decisions ever rendered. This film is not a biography of one individual, but rather, a biography of individual liberty in the US from the perspective of someone who quite literally helped to define it.