Published on January 29, 2020 by Sean Flynt  
Fontana Dam and Lake (Library of Congress)
Fontana Dam and Lake (Library of Congress)

Samford University sociology professor Hugh Floyd has produced and directed a documentary film about efforts to correct social injustice resulting from the construction of Fontana Dam and Lake in Swain County, North Carolina.

Fontana Lake: Broken Promises, Delayed Resolution follows the efforts of persons and groups who worked for resolution of the broken promise between Swain County, the State of North Carolina, the Tennessee Valley Authority and the United States Department of the Interior. Mercedith Bacon, Luke Hyde, Helen Vance, Juanita Lester, Ben Bushyhead and David Montieth are among the voices of hope, frustration and mistrust contributing to the film’s proposal of a final resolution and social justice for the citizens of Swain County.

For more than a quarter-century, Floyd has shared his passion for sociology with Samford students and colleagues. He has published more than 30 journal articles, book chapters and books in the hope that the evidence from his work might lead to a more just and compassionate world. He will present and discuss his new film at a free public event Feb. 6, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City, NC 28713.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.