On Saturday, September 20, Governor Matt Meyer and several current and former New Castle County colleagues notched their second Mid-Atlantic Emmy Award in four years, this time in the Diversity/Equity/Inclusion Long-Form category for the documentary Restless Ground: The Untold Story of Mt. Olive.
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The DEI Long-Form category “honors excellence in content focused on racism, discrimination, inequity, marginalized communities, and similar social injustices, notably efforts to raise awareness or affect positive change,” according to the contest’s 2025 call for entries.
“This story is about truth, justice, and honoring the lives and legacies of people too long overlooked,” said Governor Meyer. “I am deeply proud of the team that brought this story forward and grateful to the Mother Africa Union Church community for trusting us with it. Telling even our hardest, cruelest Delaware history can spark change and build a more just future.”
Produced by Governor Meyer, New Castle County Deputy Director of Strategic Communications Kyle Grantham, and the team at 1440 Film Co., Restless Ground explores the long-overlooked history of Mt. Olive Cemetery in Wilmington. The film examines the impact of institutional racism on those interred there, chronicles New Castle County’s partnership with the Mother African Union Church and the Trust for Public Land to bring dignity to the site after decades of neglect, and follows the unwavering efforts of one man who cared for the grounds, later discovering his own family’s connection to those buried there.
“I’m incredibly honored that Restless Ground was recognized and thankful for the amazing colleagues I partnered with to tell this story,” said Grantham. “This project was something I worked on for three years, and it couldn’t have become a reality without the 1440 crew or the Mt. Olive community opening up and sharing their stories with us.”
In addition to Restless Ground, another county-produced documentary, Return to Hockessin No. 107C, created in partnership with Bowstring, earned multiple film-festival recognitions, including Best Documentary Short at the Newark Independent Film Festival in August, and was nominated for a Mid-Atlantic Emmy in the Historical/Cultural Long-Form category.
Governor Meyer credited the nominations and wins to the hard work of current and former New Castle County staff, including Vanessa Phillips, Kyle Grantham, Yvonne Anders Gordon, Aundrea Almond, CJ Bell, Brian Cunningham — and creative teams from 1440 Film Co. and Bowstring.
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