Paul Saltzman was born December 10, 1943 in Toronto. He grew up there in a secular Jewish family, amidst the affluence of postwar Toronto. Paul recalls that his parents were non-believers, so his Judaism was a matter of identity more than faith. Even so, he did remember the sting of antisemitism that at times entered into his teenage life. Paul developed an awareness of his surroundings at a young age too, and in part that came through the ubiquitous medium of the time – television. One night he saw a story about three civil rights workers who were murdered in mid-1960s Mississippi, and that prompted him to take action. He headed south to Washington D.C., where he was trained by CORE and SNCC activist Stokely Carmichael and readied to play a role in this nonviolent movement. The local police had other ideas though, and after participating in a march in Jackson, Paul and many others were arrested, filling the local jails to capacity. Paul stayed with an African-American family while he was there – and he recalls their bravery as they stood fast against the mob that literally fired bullets into their home. Paul was deeply moved by his experiences in Mississippi, and he later made several films – Prom Night in Mississippi and The Last White Knight – that are a testament to that time. In them he explores the sources and persistence of prejudice, an enduring theme in his work. Paul and his generation lived through the transformative decade of the 60s, and they decided that change was in order, whether it was civil rights, the war in Vietnam, music with a message, or the need for a new consciousness – the common theme behind it all. New spiritual realities were on the minds of many in that decade, and Paul was not an exception, and the journey led him in some remarkable directions. His personal journey would lead him to India, where he was hoping to learn transcendental meditation from the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Upon arrival the ashram was closed though, but Paul waited many days, hoping to get in and fulfill his spiritual quest. He was eventually admitted and to his surprise he met the Beatles: it turns out that their famous trip to India coincided with Paul’s own time there. He befriended them, and even had the opportunity to witness their creative process. Paul was excited at the opportunity – which he went on to document many years later – but as he recalls meditation and inner peace were the greater prize, something he shared with Crestwood students when we visited him at his home in April 2024.
