Derrek Vaughn | The Valdosta Daily TimesAntonio Scantlebury, a Valdosta State University graduate student, has created a short documentary about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s visit to Bimini. 

VALDOSTA — Antonio Scantlebury never realized how rich in culture his hometown island of Bimini was until he started bringing a camera with him.

For most of his life, Valdosta State University graduate student Scantlebury grew up on the Bahamian island closest to the United States. It’s also the smallest with only 2,000 residents living there.

He knew where to go to hear a story or two about Bimini’s history — Ansil Saunders, a boat builder and fisherman, knew the island like no other.

As a boat builder, Saunders attracted locals and tourists to see his crafts and take them on boat rides.

To Scantlebury’s surprise, one of those tourists to travel the bright blue Caribbean waters with Saunders was none other than Martin Luther King Jr.

“Dr. King didn’t do any fishing, but he used that time to reflect,” Scantlebury said. “He was fascinated by how beautiful it was out there. He felt so close to God that he felt he could reach and touch the face of God out there.”

Scantlebury turned Saunders’ run in with Dr. King into a short documentary, which opens up to a bird’s eye view of Bimini and is full of shots with Saunders inside his boat shop recounting his trip with MLK.

He was just visiting family and brought his Sony A6300 camera along. When he saw the 30 minutes of clips he had shot in Saunders’ boat shop, he thought he could turn this into a story.

“I mostly do short-form video, mostly promotional stuff, but short docs are something I’m trying to do more of,” Scantlebury said. “I started experimenting, and it was easy to fall in love with. I grew a passion for telling stories through video.”

The story was especially important for Scantlebury for two reasons. Not only did he get to delve into MLK’s history, but he was able to tell it through the lens of his home island.

“The impact that he made not only in the U.S. but the world will never die,” Scantlebury said. “He made a lot of change. Storytellers have a contract with society to tell stories of history. It’s good to reflect on a great person’s legacy.”

Scantlebury’s short documentary can be found on his Remarkable Media social media accounts on Youtube, Facebook and Instagram. 

Katelyn Umholtz is a reporter with the Valdosta Daily Times. She can be contacted at (229)244-3400 ext. 1256.