Twelve Years that Shook and Shaped Washington: 1963-1975
Change was in the air, some of it unsettling and threatening. Against a national background of Lyndon Johnson’s “great society,” anti-war protests, black power, feminism, and emerging gay rights, the Anacostia Community Museum’s exhibitionfocuses on events, people and challenges that transformed the city between 1963 and 1975. These six films were made in association with the exhibition.
Born and raised in Washington, DC, Cecilia’s father, a Master Sargent in the Buffalo Soldier’s Regiment, instilled in her the importance of education, the need for social justice and the right to protest when times demanded it. In collaboration with Holly Wiencek & Kyriakos Iliadis. Then a student at Howard University in 1967, Dera Tompkins describes the takeover of Howard University as a life-changing moment when she realized “We could DO something! And we did!” In collaboration with Davis Shoulders & Alexa Johnson. Roach Brown was sentenced to life for murder at twenty. In solitary confinement, he discovered his inner voice that called him to write a play for, about and performed by prisoners. Roach has carried his message of non-violence to prisons and schools across the country. In collaboration with Kelsey Hasmonek. From the March on Washington to the riots following the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Rosalind Styles recalls her transformation into a lifelong activist dedicated to progressive change in her neighborhood. In collaboration with Tabria Lee-Noonan. A student leader at the Howard University recalls the transformative moment when students took over the Administration building, “putting everything on the line… When you come out of that… you’re a changed person.” In collaboration with Joe Tamayo & Alex Lacson. Calling himself “an engineer who does art,” Uzikee has been creating public art in Washington for over forty years – art that challenges convention, insisting by example that his people “have something to say.” In collaboration with David Reische.
Ayuda
A film made in partnership with Ayuda, a local organization that serves immigrants in the Washington, DC area by providing legal, social, and language access services.
Escaping from a life of violence in her native Guatemala was only the beginning of her torturous journey to freedom. In collaboration with Kelci Reiss & Meiqing Guan.
