This spring at the University of Richmond, Roosevelt is putting on "Documentaries in the Greek: A Social Justice Film Festival." We're screening four movies on different progressive issues (marriage equality, education reform, access to the justice system, and mountain-top coal removal). The films will be screened/presented by Roosevelt along with 10 partner student organizations, offices, or community entities. Each film will be followed by a talk-back session with a panel of local experts including activists, professors, lawyers, community organizers, student leaders, and University staffpeople. The logic behind this project as an impact project revolves around its use as a coalition-building technique.
On campus, we are working with environmentalists, education activists, queer action students, alternative spring break trip leaders, as well as an amnesty international chapter. We are positioning ourselves as intentional bridge-builders between these groups and doing so in a way that facilitates exchanges of knowledge, strategies, and skills in order to build power on our campus. By bringing in community figures we are enabling students and organizers to connect and envision a progressive future for the City of Richmond and for the University of Richmond as a campus community. In this way, then, a film festival can serve as the perfect form of civic space; it can facilitate the building of social, political, and strategic relationships within the movement. For additional information:www.documentariesinthegreek.weebly.com.
