Separate, But Equal — the film:

In this documentary, Wilson poses the question without using a single image of a fire hose, growling dog, or burning cross to help make his point.  Henry Clay Anderson’s photographs and the stories surrounding them serve to reshape the image of African Americans in Mississippi during legal segregation.  His rediscovered photographs document a virtually ignored and neglected chapter in African-American history: the proud, dignified community of middle-class blacks that existed throughout the South at the dawn of the civil rights movement.  The photographs contained in this film are works of art, but they are also historical documents.  And, thankfully, they have been acquired by the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, DC and will be on permanent display in 2016.

Henry Clay Anderson, a professional photographer who lived and worked in Greenville, Mississippi, established Anderson Photo Service in Greenville in 1947. Throughout the ’50’s and ’60’s, he photographed every aspect of his relatively prosperous black community, recording the daily lives of the men and women who built the Greenville schools, churches, and hospitals that served their segregated society. He photographed family gatherings, weddings, funerals, and events at the black high school. He photographed nightclub musicians, itinerant entertainers, and a wide range of professionals at work.

Program Description

Reshaping African American History and Building Community Esteem

Wilson uses his film and its subject matter as a window into the lives of African-Americans during legal segregation in Mississippi — a world that has been overlooked in the aftermath of the civil rights movement – the community of black middle class Southerners who considered themselves first-class Americans despite living in a deeply segregated society.

Through Anderson’s photos of life in Greenville, Wilson shows how a cooperative system can create empowerment in the community and beyond.  He addresses the importance of education and economic development as a means to pull oneself up by one’s own bootstraps, per Booker T. Washington in Up from Slavery. Wilson also examines how the power of place can be a factor in community development and how that factor can affect other aspects of our lives. He also examines the role that news publications play in the interconnectedness of, and divisions within, society and how that has helped and hurt the African-American community.

Bios

Shawn D. Wilson (Writer and Director)
Co-author of Separate, But Equal:  The Mississippi Photographs of Henry Clay Anderson, Wilson has spent the past 10 years working as a filmmaker and producer. His clients included The Historymakers where he produced dozens of interviews with influential African Americans, including Lynn Nottage, and Marc Morial. He is also research consultant to the Smithsonian NMAAHC. “Separate, But Equal” marks his directorial debut.

Ilyana Kadushin  (Producer and Composer)
A co-founder of Lythion Music, Kadushin produced and scored “Separate, But Equal”.  She is globally known as the voice of best-selling audio book series “Twilight”, and has toured and spoken at fan symposiums and book store events as that voice. A dedicated activist for progressive causes, Ilyana and her company have written and performed their music live to benefit organizations like:  Amnesty International, True Body Project, Wildlife Federation, Hands Up Not Hands Out (Ilyana is an ambassador) and Rock’NRenew.

Program Description

In her lectures, Kayla not only discusses her experiences negotiating the changing demands on today’s military, but she addresses the changing role of women in society.  She expounds on the notion that as society changes, the military must necessarily change along with it – but, as we’ve seen with “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the military is often slow to accept and reflect the evolving views of society.  And, unfortunately, many of the issues that women face in the military are not exclusive to the military or to war.

In her role as an interpreter, Kayla was able to garner a deeper understanding of the Iraqi culture, and reinforce her view that it is crucial to the health of our society to embrace diversity and uphold the doctrines of basic human rights.  Kayla is able to help audiences better understand that their own challenges, navigating a society with ingrained gender roles and cultural preconceptions, are equally valid.

Kayla’s experiences in Iraq, and her struggle to reintegrate into civilian society upon her return home, enable her to relate to many different types of audiences.  She vividly describes the sometimes harrowing and heartrending challenges of being both a soldier/veteran and a wife, and how difficult it is sometimes to reconcile the two roles – this audio interview at NotAlone.com is a lucid encapsulation of Kayla’s experience.  Also, she is able to relay a first-hand perspective on the questionable treatment of Iraqi prisoners (she witnessed soldiers cross the line between interrogation and torture), the stress of combat, and the effects of physical injury and PTSD — her husband (also a veteran) suffered a serious brain injury sustained in combat.

One of Kayla’s overarching messages is that we MUST take care of our veterans.  We all have a role in the war effort, regardless of personal politics, and it is crucial that our returning soldiers get what they need in order to become contributing members of civilian society once again.  She recently addressed United States House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on this issue.  Her remarks, entitled “The Growing Needs of Women Veterans: Is the VA Ready?” can be found here.

Bio

Kayla is a member of the Board of Directors of Grace After Fire, a senior adviser of VoteVets.org and she regularly blogs at The Huffington Post and VetVoice.com.  She has appeared on numerous media outlets including CNN, Fox, NPR and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” and elsewhere, to discuss the challenges faced by women serving in the armed forces and the additional challenges they face re-adjusting to civilian life as veterans.  She recently earned a Masters degree in International Affairs with a focus on the Middle East from American University, and continues to work on issues related to U.S. policy and the treatment of veterans.

Yet what happened over the next eight years was a roller-coaster of inspiration, confusion, doubt, and soul-searching as his reporting and experiences slowly chipped away at his faith. While reporting on hundreds of stories, he witnessed a disturbing gap between the tenets of various religions and the behaviors of the faithful and their leaders.

He investigated religious institutions that acted less ethically than corrupt Wall St. firms. He found few differences between the morals of Christians and atheists. As this evidence piled up, he started to fear that God didn’t exist. He explored every doubt, every question—until, finally, his faith collapsed. After the paper agreed to reassign him, he wrote a personal essay in the summer of 2007 that became an international sensation for its honest exploration of doubt.

Losing My Religion is a book about life’s deepest questions that speaks to everyone: Lobdell understands the longings and satisfactions of the faithful, as well as the unrelenting power of doubt. How he faced that power, and wrestled with it, is must reading for people of faith and nonbelievers alike.

Bio

An award-winning journalist, author, blogger, speaker, college lecturer and media consultant, William Lobdell worked for 18 years with the Los Angeles Times and its sister newspapers. Lobdell covered the religion beat for The Times for eight years, first as a columnist and then as a beat reporter. He earned several national awards for his work before becoming a metro editor for the paper in 2006. He left the paper in 2008.  He also has been a visiting faculty member for 12 years at the University of California, Irvine, where he teaches “Religion and the Media” and “The Internet, Blogs and Politics.”

Garry began her professional career as part of the management team that launched MTV in 1981 and it is that experience that shaped her view that the media profoundly influence the attitudes and opinions of people on nearly every issue.  With her 1997 appointment as executive director of GLAAD, a position she held for eight years, Joan realized she had connected her professional experience with her powerful voice.

Whether it was debating Jerry Falwell and Bill O’Reilly, or taking on The New York Times and persuading the Times to change its policy to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has been at the forefront of issues that mean something to her family and to countless other families across America.  This was never more evident than during the transformational election of 2008, when Garry was the Co-chair of the National LGBT Finance Committee for Obama for America, leading a committee of 75 fundraisers nationwide to engage and mobilize the LGBT community to champion the candidacy of President-elect Obama.

Currently a featured blogger at The Huffington Post, Garry is working to help Americans connect the front page to the world in their own back yards. She offers commentary on issues of relevance to the gay community as a columnist with The Washington Blade, and her personal essays have been published in The Newark Star Ledger, The New York Times and elsewhere.

Program Descriptions

The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time:  LGBT Equality

As one of America’s most prominent gay rights leaders, Garry offers thoughts on the current state of the movement,  examines it in terms of historical context and considers its trajectory over the next 5-10 years.  She addresses the opportunities and challenges facing the next generation of leadership, and proposes (and answers) difficult questions about the most effective ways to achieve success.

Goal-Oriented, Team-Driven Leadership

After a decade at the helm of one of the most visible gay rights organizations in America, Garry’s perspectives on leadership are authentic and unique.  From debating Jerry Falwell to persuading the New York Times to include gay and lesbian couples on its wedding pages, Garry has demonstrated leadership attributes that are forceful, effective and at the same time empathetic and respectful.  In her lecture, she shares the lessons gleaned from both her tenure as the Executive Director of GLAAD, and during the preceding fourteen years as a cable television executive with positions in strategic planning and new business development.

Media and its Impact on Changing Hearts and Minds

Historically, civil rights movements have focused on government, politics and the law to effect change.  The gay civil rights movement may have been the first to recognize and understand the power of the media to shape attitudes and opinions.   Garry shares the history and successes of this media activism, offering valuable lessons on the power of media advocacy to bring an issue to light and in so doing, change hearts and minds.

Activism: A How-To Guide

As a prominent civil rights leader with demonstrated success in effecting change, Garry speaks about what it means to be an activist, the forms activism can take and the strategies and tactics that can be employed to move people to action.

Making a Difference in Non-Profit America:
Can You Really Making A Living Doing Something You Care About?

Garry tells her own story – diving into a non-profit leadership role after a successful career as a media executive – and offers insight into non-profit work – the skills and expertise she brought with her from corporate America and the new ones she unearthed.

Bio

Garry plays a critical role as a visible media spokesperson and critic.  In 1999, Entertainment Weekly featured her on its list of the “100 Most Influential People In Entertainment.”  Garry’s articulate advocacy has been featured across all national news networks, with notable media appearances including NBC’s “Today;” ABC’s “World News Tonight;” PBS’ “The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer;” CNN’s “NewsNight with Aaron Brown;” CNBC’s “Dennis Miller Live;” numerous appearances on CNN, CSPAN, MSNBC (including “Hardball” with Chris Matthews) and Fox News Channel (including “The O’Reilly Factor” and “Hannity & Colmes”).

Her comments are frequently sought by leading newspapers, magazines and news services, including The New York Times, the Associated Press, Reuters, the Washington Post, USA Today, Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, Advertising Age and PR Week, among others; and her thought-provoking op-ed essays have appeared in outlets such as The New York Times and USA Today.

During her eight-year tenure at GLAAD, Garry led the organization through a series of high-profile campaigns, most notably GLAAD’s highly successful public education initiative to combat and expose the defamatory rhetoric of “Dr. Laura” Schlessinger.

Garry lives in New Jersey with her partner of 27 years and their three children. Her landmark 1993 court challenge to New Jersey’s second-parent adoption law made Garry the first lesbian in the state to adopt her partner’s biological children.  She also blogs with and about her kids at www.whosthegrownup.com, and on her own at www.joangarry.com.  In the spirit of using her voice to advocate for change, Garry is the first and only female singing member of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus.

John Bowe, award-winning journalist and author of Pulitzer Prize nominee Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy, examines how outsourcing, subcontracting, immigration fraud, and the relentless pursuit of “everyday low prices” have created a frightening new market for modern slavery.

Program Description

Bowe’s eye-opening presentation describes a journey from shock and concern for abused immigrants to deeper worries about the health of American democracy. Given the prevalence of slavery throughout human history, Bowe explains, slavery and labor abuse simply aren’t ‘weird’ or unusual at all. What’s ‘weird,’ is that freedom and democracy have come as far as they have.

Using thorough and often dangerous research, exclusive interviews, eyewitness accounts, and rigorous economic analysis, Bowe examines three illegal workplaces, where employees are literally or virtually enslaved. From rural Florida to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to the US Commonwealth of Saipan in the Western Pacific, he documents coercive and forced labor situations that benefit us all, as consumers and stockholders, fattening the profits of dozens of American food and clothing chains, including Wal-Mart, Kroger’s, Macdonald’s, Burger King, PepsiCo, Del Monte, the Gap, Target, JC Penney, J. Crew, Ralph Lauren/Polo, and others.

In this revealing lecture, set against the everyday American landscape of shopping malls, outlet stores, and Happy Meals — Bowe reveals how humankind’s darker urges remain alive and well, lingering in the background of every transaction — and what we can do to overcome them.

USA Today describes Nobodies as “…a masterwork and mixing pot of ideas…investigative, immersion reporting at its best.” Dennis Miller calls it “a great book…heartbreaking and important.” The Village Voice has named it “One of the Twenty Best Books of 2007.”

Bio

Bowe has appeared on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” and has contributed to The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, NPR and other outlets. He is the co-editor of Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs, named one of Harvard Business School’s Ten Best Books of the Year, and co-screenwriter of the film “Basquiat”. In 2004, Bowe received the J. Anthony Lukas Work-in-Progress Award, and the Sydney Hillman Award for journalists, writers, and public figures who pursue social justice and public policy for the common good.