For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Contacts:
Kate West, Community Cinema Coordinator and Graduate Assistant, SIU College of Mass Communications & Media Arts, (618) 453-5060, (217) 246-4626 (cell -- for media only), kate.west@wsiu.org
Beth Spezia, WSIU Outreach Coordinator, (618) 453-5595, beth.spezia@wsiu.org
WSIU, Carbondale Public Library to Present Free Community Cinema Film Screening on February 21: “American Denial” To Address Unconscious Bias
Carbondale, Ill. -- WSIU Public Broadcasting and the Carbondale Public Library will present a free screening and discussion of the Independent Lens film American Denial on Saturday, February 21 at 2:30pm at the library, located at 405 W. Main.
Presented as part of WSIU's participation in Community Cinema, a community engagement initiative from the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and Independent Lens, American Denial uses the story of Nobel Laureate Gunnar Myrdal's 1944 study of Jim Crow racism, An American Dilemma (1944), as a springboard to explore the power of unconscious biases and how the ideals of liberty, equality, and justice still affect notions of race and class today.
Discussion moderators for the film are Father Joseph Brown of SIU Africana Studies, Cathy Field of the Carbondale Racial Justice Coalition, and Derrick Langston, a graduate assistant for the Black Resource Center at the SIU Center for Inclusive Excellence.
The public is encouraged to take Harvard University's Implicit Bias Test at http://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit prior to attending the screening and discussion.
For more information, contact Kate West, Community Cinema Coordinator and Graduate Assistant, SIU Carbondale College of Mass Communications and Media Arts, at (618) 453-5060 or kate.west@wsiu.org.
Community Cinema is a service of Independent Television Services (ITVS) and is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
About WSIU Public Broadcasting
WSIU Public Broadcasting is licensed to the Board of Trustees of Southern Illinois University and is an integral part of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts on the Carbondale campus. The WSIU stations reach more than three million people across five states and beyond through three digital public television channels, three public radio stations, a radio information service, a website, and an education and community outreach department.
WSIU's mission is to improve the quality of life of the people they serve. The WSIU stations partner with other community organizations to promote positive change and to support the academic and public service missions of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Learn more and get the latest station news online at wsiu.org and on WSIU's Facebook and Twitter pages.
WSIU's programs and services are partially funded by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
About Community Cinema
Community Cinema is a groundbreaking national civic engagement initiative featuring free screenings of films from the Emmy-winning PBS series Independent Lens. Presented by Independent Television Service (ITVS) in partnership with local public television stations and community organizations, these in-person events and online social screenings bring community members together to learn, discuss, and get involved in key social issues of our time. For a complete lineup and more information about the Community Cinema series visit: http://communitycinema.org/
About Independent Lens
Independent Lens is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly series airing on PBS Monday nights at 10PM. The acclaimed series features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by Independent Television Service, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from PBS and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. For more visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation at facebook.com/independentlens and @IndependentLens.
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