query: DVDs for community organizing

Sat Oct 27 08:27:24 CDT 2007

[ed:  thanks to Kathy, TJ, Deb, Mac, Amy and Michael for replying to 
Susan's query.]

From:
Kathy Partridge <interfaithfunders at yahoo.com>
Date:
Thu, 25 Oct 2007 11:37:40 -0700 (PDT)
To:
colist at comm-org.wisc.edu

Very timely given the vote in Congress today, the PICO Network's short 
piece on their SCHIP campaign shows organizing in action at the national 
level, with a focus on the leadership development aspects as well as 
role of organizing to impact policy.  It's available on their website.

Cheers,

Kathy Partridge
Interfaith Funders

*******************

From:
tjwaters at earthlink.net

When I look back on my organizer training, the two movies that really 
stand out are Fundi: The Story of Ella Baker 
(http://www.frif.com/cat97/f-j/fundi45.html), which is about the methods 
and commitments of an organizer, and At the River I Stand 
(http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0007), which is about the 
many dimensions of the power of collective action.

******************

From:
Deb Marois <debmarois at sbcglobal.net>

Not sure if this is available in DVD format, but the video Holding 
Ground: the story of the Dudley St Neighborhood Initiative is excellent. 
I used to show it in an intro to community development class. It is 
especially inspiring because it shows a successful multicultural 
organizing effort and young people taking leadership in their community.

Deb

*********************

From:
"Mac Johnson" <psmcovky at usa.net>

Building A People of Power (interactive DVD series) helps Christians, 
congregations, student populations and other ministries learn to work 
from a biblical framework for substantive systemic change in the world.  
http://www.cscoweb.org/forsale.html

6 sets with special price for Set 1, of 5 sessions - only $45.00 plus 
$10 shipping.  The entire set of 27 sessions now only $300 plus $10 
shipping.  Includes:

   1. A biblical analysis of how their city's or country's economic, 
political and values-setting systems use their power to either empower 
or to exploit the poor and middle-class;
   2. the biblical dream of the "Shalom Community" (or the "reign" or 
"kingdom of God");
   3. biblical principles of how God's people can successfully work both 
for public justice and personal righteousness;
   4. biblical models showing how God's people can bring about dramatic 
transformation in their city's or country's systems and structures, as 
well as in people, through broad-based organizing;
   5. A practical introduction to philosophies and methodologies of 
community and broad-based organizing.

Brochure  http://www.cscoweb.org/dvdbro.pdf

Christians Supporting Community Organizing (CSCO), P.O. Box 60123, 
Dayton, OH 45406; email:  cscocbco at aol.com  phone:  937-277-7102

Mac Johnson

*******************

From:
Amy Hubbard <amyshubbard at yahoo.com>

Hi Randy,
I'm going to make a recommendation that doesn't quite fit what Susan 
requested (not a dvd, not community organizing) but would be quite good 
for certain activist groups -- and if I were teaching, I would certainly 
use it for my social movement class.

The noted public radio show, This American Life, did a story called "81 
Words" on how the American Psychiatric Association decided in 1973 to 
change its statement that homosexuality was a disease.  The producer of 
the piece, Alix Spiegel, recalled family lore that her grandfather (who 
was president-elect of the APA at the time) was responsible for making 
the change.  When she investigated, she discovered that people both 
working within the APA and working from the outside were responsible for 
pushing the APA to change.  Her grandfather, while sympathetic, was not 
the prime mover and shaker that made this happen.  It's a great example 
of how it takes multiple efforts from very different kinds of people to 
bring about social change.  A few people get the credit but they would 
have gotten nowhere without the help of the many others who contributed.

You can listen to the piece for free from 
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=204
or you can buy the CD.

Even if you don't want to use it for teaching, it's quite a moving story 
and I highly recommend it to all.  Also, This American Life regularly 
produces indepth stories that would be useful teaching aids.  You can 
subscribe to their podcast for free and get a new episode every week.

Amy Hubbard
Washington, DC
A
**************************

From:
MBrown7387 at aol.com

I like the video "Leap of Faith" by Neighborhood Re-Investment, which 
shows a specific campaign, and focuses on the organizing and the 
leadership of the local people. Michael Jacoby Brown

Discussion list for COMM-ORG wrote:
>> --------
>> This is a COMM-ORG 'colist' message.
>> All replies to this message come to COMM-ORG only.
>> --------
>>  
>> [ed:  Please feel welcomed to copy COMM-ORG with responses to Susan's 
>> query. A bit from me below.]
>>
>> From: SusanGSMcGee at aol.com
>>
>> Folks, when teaching c.o., or when doing organizing in the community, 
>> what are the best dvds? I am particularly looking for dvds that portray 
>> community organizing, that debunk the idea that there are one or two 
>> superpowers in charge, and that make the point that ordinary people 
>> acting together can make change.
>>  
>> Susan
>>  
>> [ed:  the "films" section of the COMM-ORG Multimedia page, 
>> http://comm-org.wisc.edu/multimed.htm, may be of assistance.]
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