Cinematters: Take Action

Learn More:

• A Choice of Weapons by Gordon Parks—This compelling autobiography, first published in 1966, now back in print by popular demand and with a new foreword by Wing Young Huie, tells how Gordon Parks managed to escape the poverty and bigotry around him and to launch his distinguished career by choosing the weapons given him by “a mother who placed love, dignity, and hard work over hatred.”
• A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks Complete this form to stay up-to-date on the film and educator resources, including a curriculum (February 2022) for A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks.
• Black Women Photographers aims to disrupt the notion that it is difficult to discover and commission Black creatives. Dedicated to providing a resource for the industry’s gatekeepers.
• Gordon Parks Foundation—Shares upcoming exhibitions and resources.
• Kunhardt Film Foundation is a not-for-profit educational media organization that produces documentary films, interviews, and teaching tools about the people and ideas that shape our world.
• See in Black is a collective of Black photographers who invest in, uplift and build community around Black visibility.

Take Action:

• Black Trans Femmes in the Arts creates spaces for the production and preservation of Black trans arts and culture by building community with Black trans femme artists and providing them with the resources and support necessary to thrive.
• The Laundromat Project advances artists and neighbors as change agents in their own communities.
• Manifest Your Destiny Foundation passes along lessons to provide a foundation for young underserved teens to use as a launching pad to academic success.
• Sphinx Organization transforms lives through the power of diversity in the arts, fulfilling this mission through four main program areas: Education and Access; Artist Development; Performing Artists; and Arts Leadership.

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• Americanish Website contains multiple press articles about the film.
• Muslim Community Network uses civic education and leadership development to shape the public narrative about what it means to be Muslim in the U.S..
• Muslim Public Affairs Council improves public understanding and policies that impact American Muslims by engaging our government, media, and communities.
• Article: Underground Lives: The Sunless World of Immigrants in Queens

Take Action:

• DRUM (Desis Rising Up and Moving)—DRUM was founded in 2000 to build the power of South Asian and Indo-Caribbean low-wage immigrant workers, youth, and families in New York City to win economic and educational justice, and civil and immigrant rights.
• Islamic Scholarship Fund increases American Muslim representation in media and government to improve public policy and public opinion, believing that the interests of the American Muslim community can only be protected if its members are part of the policy-making process. ISF scholars and alumni across the country and world are ensuring their voices are heard.
• Jackson Heights Immigrant Solidarity Network (JHISN) supports immigrant neighbors and their families, including those who are persecuted, by mobilizing against racism, scapegoating, and xenophobia.
• Make The Road NY builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice.
• The New York Immigration Coalition advocates for the rights of all immigrants in New York State.
• Together We Can empowers multi-ethnic families residing in Elmhurst, Corona, and Jackson Heights, Queens by linking them to youth and family support, educational opportunities, fresh food resources, and other community services.

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• Caring Across Generations is an organization of families, caregivers, people with disabilities, and aging Americans creating a new way to live well and age with dignity.
• Sankofa Research Institute a community-centered research institute that unites residents with professional researchers and community leaders to mobilize for positive social change.
• USC Dornsife Equity Research Institute seeks to use data and analysis to contribute to a more powerful, well-resourced, intersectional, and intersectoral movement for equity.

Take Action:

• 9 to 5—Women working for equal pay, power, and participation.
• Righteous Rage Institute: Our Voices Our Schools—Educate, organize, agitate, and advocate with and on behalf of Black, Brown, and Indigenous parents and children, amplifying their voice and providing tools and resources to agitate and advocate and for quality equitable education.
• United for A New Economy: Colorado is a multiracial community organization building people power and developing leaders in the cities and counties surrounding Denver, to create a thriving economy in Colorado.

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• Orangeburg County Historical Society exists to encourage the study and research of the county’s history; to acquire and preserve historical documents and artifacts; to commemorate events and places of significance; to inform and educate the public and make history accessible; unite in fellowship those interested in history; and work cooperatively with other organizations to preserve, protect and promote Orangeburg County’s history.
• Article: Over 160 Confederate Symbols Were Removed in 2020, Group Says
• South Carolina Humanities is a nonprofit organization focused on inspiring, engaging, and enriching South Carolinians with programs on literature, history, culture, and heritage.

Take Action:

• National Trust for Historic Preservation—The 70-year-old non-profit organization dedicated to saving historic sites across the U.S. says that Confederate monuments should be removed or relocated to new sites “to achieve the greater good of ensuring racial justice and equality.”
• Southern Poverty Law Center employs a three-pronged strategy to battle racial and social injustice: fighting hate, learning for justice, and seeking justice.

Learn more:

• Article: An Open Letter to the Biden Administration: It’s time to drop charges against José Ines García Zárate by Matt Garcia and Franciso Ugarte, Medium
• Bitch Talk Podcast, Pt. 1: conversation with Chihiro Wimbush, director of Ricochet
• Bitch Talk Podcast, Pt. 2: conversation with Matt Gonzalez, chief attorney at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
• Article: The Exploitation of Beautiful Kate by Jeremy Stahl, Slate
• Justice in Action: The Future of NYC with New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg on January 20th join Ruth Messinger, the JCC’s social justice activist in residence, and Matt Nosanchuk, president and co-founder of the New York Jewish Agenda (NYJA), for a conversation with newly elected New York County District Attorney, Alvin Bragg.
• KPFA Radio Interview: A weekly magazine-style radio show featuring the voices and stories of Asians and Pacific Islanders, produced by a collective of media makers, DJs, and activists. They speak with Chihiro Wimbush about his film Ricochet, the final film of lawyer/co-director Jeff Adachi.

Take Action:

• The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and, in doing so, is transforming the system itself.
• HIAS works around the world to protect refugees who have been forced to flee their homelands because of who they are, including ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities.
• The Innocence Project exonerates the innocent through DNA testing and reforms the criminal justice system to prevent future injustice.
• Make The Road NY builds the power of immigrant and working-class communities to achieve dignity and justice.
• The New York Immigration Coalition advocates for the rights of all immigrants in New York State.

Learn More:

• Article: Columbus police used force disproportionately against Black residents, study contends
• Article: Justice Department to review police force in Columbus, Ohio
• Melissa Gira Grant is a journalist, author, and documentary filmmaker. She is a staff writer at The New Republic.

Take Action:

• Campaign Zero encourages policymakers to focus on solutions with the strongest evidence of effectiveness at reducing police violence.
• National Police Accountability Project (NPAP)—The central mission of NPAP is to promote the accountability of law enforcement officers and their employers for violations of the Constitution and the laws of the United States.

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• Bowman Pictures is a production and post-production company committed to telling underrepresented stories.
• New Life Fellowship CDC—Filmmaker Patrice Bowman’s church has volunteer opportunities.

Take Action:

• Center for Media and Social Impact is an innovation lab and research center that creates, studies, and showcases media for social impact.
• Equal Justice Initiative is committed to ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.
• Organization for Social Media Safety makes social media safe for everyone through education, advocacy, and technology development.
• The Nap Ministry’s “Rest is Resistance” framework and practice engages with the power of performance art, site-specific installations, and community organizing to install sacred and safe spaces for the community to rest together. It facilitates immersive workshops and curates performance art that examines rest as a radical tool for community healing, believing rest is a form of resistance and sleep deprivation is a racial and social justice issue.
• Therapy for Black Girls—So often the stigma surrounding mental-health issues and therapy prevents Black women from taking the step of seeing a therapist. This space was developed to present mental-health topics in a way that feels more accessible and relevant.

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• The 1619 Project is an ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
• Implicit Association Test—According to statistics from the Implicit Association Test (IAT), very few of us are totally without prejudice of one form or another. Project Implicit is a long-term research project based at Harvard University that aims to measure people’s preferences for certain social groups over others.
• The Who We Are Project was founded by Jeffery Robinson. The organization is an outgrowth of a talk that Robinson has been giving for the past 10 years on the history of anti-Black racism and white supremacy in America. The organization’s website offers this great set of resources for the fight against racism.

Take Action:

• 100 Black Men improves the quality of life within communities and enhances educational and economic opportunities for all African Americans. ​
• ACLU defends the future of democracy to safeguard voting rights, protect abortion access, and more.
• Anti-Racism Daily news, insights, education and actions to dismantle white supremacy.
• The King Center prepares global citizens to create a more just, humane, and peaceful world using Dr. King’s nonviolent philosophy and methodology.
• NAACP secures the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Learn More:

• Climate Litigation Accelerator hosts monthly webinars that focus on one case at a time.
• Held v. State of Montana—online briefing to deep dive into the law.
• Juliana v. United States—learn more about the case presented in the film.
• La Rose v. Her Majesty the Queen—online briefing to deep dive into the law.
• Listen to Radio Shows and Podcast Episodes on the film.
• Sign up to be notified about online briefings.

Take Action:

• Earth Guardians inspire and train diverse youth to be effective leaders in the environmental, climate, and social justice movements.
• Jewish Climate Action Network NYC believes in a just transition to a sustainable future through education, action, and advocacy.
• New York Youth Climate Leaders is a policy-driven organization of youth from across New York State that coordinates and empowers them to advocate for comprehensive, equitable, and effective climate solutions. It strives to improve New Yorkers’ quality of life, protect frontline communities, and ensure environmental and economic justice for generations to come.
• NY Renews is a coalition of over 100 organizations devoted to promoting good jobs and climate justice with 100% clean, renewable energy.
• Our Children’s Trust represents the 21 youth in the Juliana case. They also have seven ongoing state cases around the U.S. and support over 20 cases globally. There are many ways you can support their work.
• WITNESS helps people use video and technology to protect and defend human rights.
• YOUTH v. GOV Resources: Offers a number of ways to take action on climate change.