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Premiering on CPTV: 'Stepping into the Shade' documentary on Connecticut's tobacco heritage

A production by professors at Eastern Connecticut State University

Willimantic, CT (10/16/2025) — "Stepping into the Shade," a documentary on the history of tobacco farming in Connecticut and its impact on civil rights, will premiere on Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) on Oct. 21 at 9 p.m. Produced by Eastern Connecticut State University Professors Brian Day and Kristen Morgan and hosted by TV personality June Archer, the documentary explores Connecticut's tobacco heritage and local civil rights movement.

Originally a multi-episode series, "Stepping into the Shade" will premiere on CPTV as a shorter, one-episode edit. Other episodes are available to view online.

"I'm thrilled that the stories in Stepping into the Shade will be reaching an audience across the state through CT Public," said Morgan. "Shade tobacco laborers were and continue to be such an important part of Connecticut's culture."

"Stepping into the Shade" tells the story of the people who toiled in the soil on Connecticut's tobacco farms, including migrant workers from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Poland and Pennsylvania, as well as college students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HACU's) who had summer jobs on the farms, including Martin Luther King Jr.

"This is a subject that so many people in (Connecticut) connect with," said Morgan, "and I hope we have done justice to the many stories we have collected over the past three years. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who is one of the subjects of an episode of the series, insisted that 'All labor has dignity,' and we have tried to reflect the dignity of the workers who generously shared their stories with us."

"Our history is rich and filled with stories of triumph from those who worked on the farms to those who smoke cigars," said Archer. "This story happens to be an American history story. It happens to be the makeup of Connecticut, which is why it's a super important story for me."

For more information:

  • Connecticut Public website: https://www.ctpublic.org/watch/collaborative-features/stepping-into-the-shade

Streaming on:

  • Connecticut Public+: https://www.ctpublic.org/connecticut-public-plus
  • Video.cptv.org: https://video.cptv.org/
  • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConnecticutPublic

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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving upwards of 4,000 students annually on its Willimantic campus. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 68 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal arts foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 25 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-26 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 15 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.

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"Stepping into the Shade"

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