Change the Name: Short Documentary Screening + Conversation

329 East Garfield Boulevard,Chicago IL 60637

23 October, 2021

Description

A screening and conversation with youth activists Raniya, Zahir and Zari, director Cai Thomas, and co-director/instructor Bianca Jones Change the Name: A screening and conversation with youth activists Raniya, Zahir and Zari, director Cai Thomas, and co-director/instructor Bianca JonesPresented by Sisters in Cinema Screening Series in partnership with Arts + Public Life Panelists: Cai Thomas (Director), Bianca Jones (Instructor, Co-Director), Student activists Raniya, Zahir, and Zari Moderator: Joyy Norris, Operations and Program Manager, Sisters in Cinema Join Arts + Public Life for an afternoon screening and conversation on Change the Name, a short documentary on activating advocacy and organizing among youth, with activists Raniya, Zahir and Zari, and director Cai Thomas and co-director/instructor Bianca Jones. Change the Name follows student activists and educators from Village Leadership Academy on their three-year campaign to change the name of a park in Chicago's North Lawndale neighborhood from a known slaveholder to abolitionists Anna Murray and Frederick Douglass. The journey of these middle schoolers-turned-high schoolers demonstrates how the role of activist and organizer is a mantle being taken up by younger members of society, activated by a generation of movement-based educators. Produced by Tribeca Studios, Procter & Gamble and Flavor Unit, the film and accompanying curriculum are a vital resource for young people and teachers invested in inspiring students to take action in their communities. After the screening we will have a Q&A with panelists Cai Thomas, Bianca Jones, and Village Leadership Academy youths activists Raniya, Zahir, and Zari. Film information and toolkit here Bianca Jones is an educator and organizer whose praxis centers creating pedagogy that develops historical understanding, structural analysis, critical dialogue, perspective taking, and creative ingenuity to promote a love of intellectual growth, increased awareness, and community transformation. Cai Thomas is a documentary filmmaker telling verité stories at the intersection of location, self-determination and identity about Black youth and elders. She grew up in Miami’s Liberty City neighborhood and is deeply interested in stories rooted in place. Her film Queenie, which is about a Black lesbian elder, premiered at NewFest, winning the NY Short Grand Jury Award. She is a NeXt Doc and Sisters in Cinema Fellow as well as a Mellon Arts Practitioner Fellow at Stanford’s Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. _________________ Important COVID safety event info and University of Chicago policies: All visitors aged 12+ attending public events with fixed audience seating inside of a University of Chicago building must provide proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of event, or a positive COVID-19 test within 14-90 days of event and affirm no symptoms. UChicago faculty, students, and staff may present their UCID as proof. This convening is open to all invitees who are compliant with UChicago vaccination requirements and, because of ongoing health risks, participants are expected to adopt the risk mitigation measures (masking and social distancing, etc.) as advised by public health officials or to their individual vulnerabilities as advised by a medical professional. Public convening may not be safe for all and carries a risk for contracting COVID-19, particularly for those unvaccinated. Participants will not know the vaccination status of others and should follow appropriate risk mitigation measures. Indoor capacity is restricted at all Arts + Public Life buildings. Detailed information on the University of Chicago health and safety guidelines are outlined at https://goforward.uchicago.edu. Arts + Public Life (APL), an initiative of UChicago Arts, is a dynamic hub of exploration, expression, and exchange that centers people of color and fosters neighborhood vibrancy through the arts on the South Side of Chicago. As a neighborhood platform for arts and culture in Washington Park, APL provides residencies for Black and Brown artists and creative entrepreneurs, arts education for youth, and artist-led programming and exhibitions.