BRATTLEBORO -- On Wednesday, March 12, at 7 p.m., Brooks Memorial Library at 224 Main St. will host the Vermont premiere of the audio documentary, "Eyes on Freedom," on the lives and legacy of peace and civil rights activists, Wally and Juanita Nelson. There will be an opportunity to hear the documentary again on April 6 at 6 p.m. at the Congregational Church of Westminster West, 44 Church St. Both community listening sessions will include time afterwards for guided reflection and conversation with individuals who knew Juanita and Wally.

The Nelsons were civil rights and peace activists, war tax refusers, subsistence farmers, and advocates of simple living. They were members of such groups as the Congress on Racial Equality, Fellowship of Reconciliation, and Peacemakers. In western Massachusetts, they were founding members of the Greenfield Farmers' Market and Winter Fare. They were recipients of numerous awards during their lifetimes, including the Courage of Conscience Award from the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Mass., and the Sacco and Vanzetti Award from Community Church in Boston.

"Eyes on Freedom" tells the story of the Nelsons through their own voices and those who knew them. The documentary was commissioned by the Nelson Legacy Project and was produced by Carrie and Michael Kline of "Talking Across the Lines." These community listening sessions offer a chance to consider what people can learn from the Nelsons' lifetime of simple living, war tax refusal, and peace activism, and how it can apply in their lives today.

"I look to Juanita and Wally as examples for how to live courageously," said Lindsey Britt, Nelson Legacy Project member and Brattleboro resident, in a news release. "Anyone interested in nonviolence, concepts of freedom, growing food locally, building community, living simply, and finding solidarity with people near and far can take away something profound from this audio tapestry; there is truly something for everyone."