STEWART UDALL AND THE POLITICS OF BEAUTY

1110 Barton Springs Road,Austin TX 78704

07 May, 2023

Description

Celebrate the life and legacy of former Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall, arguably the most effective environmentalist in American history with a special free screening of the new documentary film STEWART-UDALL: THE POLITICS OF BEAUTY, followed by a post show panel discussion. STEWART UDALL: THE POLITICS OF BEAUTY chronicles Udall’s World War II experiences, his days as a star basketball player for the University of Arizona, his efforts to end Jim Crow policies at the University and later, in the National Park Service, his election to Congress and his decade as Interior Secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, during which he helped create dozens of National Parks, Monuments, Historical Sites and Wildlife Refuges. He pushed legislation through Congress mandating clean air and water, wilderness preservation, pesticide restrictions, strip-mining reclamation, and the establishment of Wild and Scenic Rivers and National Trails systems, while providing greater self-determination for Native Americans. The film explores the hard choices Udall had to make regarding both the Vietnam War and plans to dam the Grand Canyon, which he stopped. Of interest for Austin audiences, the film depicts the role that Lady Bird Johnson played in formulating a popular environmental program inspired by Secretary Udall. Additionally, when Stewart Udall desegregated the National Parks Service in 1962 with its first internship program for college students of color, a young Robert Stanton joined the National Parks Service (NPS) only to become its first African-American individual to serve as Director of the NPS in 1997. Mr. Stanton, a graduate of Huston Tillotson University, will join the filmmaker, John DeGraaf, in a panel discussion following the film. This event is free but seats are limited. RSVP on Eventbrite is required. The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance please contact (512) 974-3256 or Relay Texas 7-1-1. See less