Hey gang,
I was contacted by the folks who put together a film on the 2011 uprising
in Wisconsin, to see if Sudo/BAPS might host a screening on 5/2.
I know this is a First Friday where Sudo normally has a bit of an open
house.. I don't want to stop that, but maybe a film might add to the
general melee of fun?
If it's not appropriate, I can see if we can host it later on the weekend
too.
What do you all think? Of screening the film, and if so if it could be on
5/2 or should the film be screened on another day?
Best,
David
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Wisconsin Rising
Do you remember before Occupy, when there was an uprising in
Wisconsin<http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/02/whats-happening-wiscon…
We do. That's why we're helping Sam Mayfield tour with her new film, *Wisconsin
Rising.*
Sam's film tells the story of the 2011 occupation of the Wisconsin State
Capitol building and the movement opposing Governor Scott Walker’s repeal
of collective bargaining rights for workers.*Wisconsin Rising *details the
continuing assault on democracy and workers rights across the United
States, and how everyday people are fighting back. It is a 55-minute
feature documentary with footage from the protests, news clips, and
interviews with teachers, union leaders, elected officials, and others
involved. This film provides an in depth look into what collective action
has, and could, look like in the United States today.
Robert McChesney calls *Wisconsin Rising* “the definitive film” on the
events in Wisconsin and says “It captures the spirit and intensity of the
dramatic events as they unfolded, and reminds us that we cannot predict the
future, and we should not forget our past, even our recent past."
This year, Sam Mayfield will be visiting campuses and community groups
around the US. Each event will include an introduction by the director
along with a screening of the film. The director will facilitate a
discussion and Q&A following.
If you would like Sam to come to your campus or community organization,
please email Mike <mike(a)aidandabet.org>rg>.
* * *
*More About The Film*
Film website and trailer:
http://wisconsinrising.com/
*Wisconsin Rising *tells the story of the largest sustained workers
resistance in American history. In 2011, Wisconsin was the canary in the
coal mine for America as newly-elected Republican Governor Scott Walker
suddenly stripped collective bargaining rights from the state's public
employees, undoing eight decades of basic workers' rights. *Wisconsin
Rising* catapults the viewer in to the days, weeks, and months when
Wisconsinites fought back against power, authority, and injustice.
Following conservative Governor Scott Walker’s announcement of his
controversial ‘Budget Repair Bill,’ the people of Wisconsin rose up,
occupied their state capitol and took to the streets as rarely before seen
in American History. Their collective actions are the largest sustained
gathering of any workers resistance in US history.
Many say Walker’s bill is an assault on working people, unions and the
poorest, most vulnerable people in the state. At a time when millions of
American families feel the crush of debt and joblessness, while large
corporations are seeing record profits, Badger State residents demonstrated
the strength that comes from a shared sense of community and acting
collectively.
Happening on the heels of the revolutionary Arab Spring and months before
the Occupy movement, Wisconsinites spontaneously occupied their state
Capitol for weeks as never before seen in American History. *Wisconsin
Rising* tells the story of how one state became an economic testing ground
for the nation in a political environment where corporations have growing
clout and ordinary citizens are losing their ability to obtain redress.
While *Wisconsin Rising* highlights one state’s rejection of a conservative
takeover, it is a microcosm of what is at stake in America today, at a time
of fiscal crisis, ideologically-driven budgets and social reforms.
*About Sam Mayfield*
Sam Mayfield is a video journalist and documentarian from Burlington, VT.
Since 2004*,* Mayfield has documented stories that remain untold in the
dominant corporate media paradigm. Her video reports have been filed with
outlets such as Democracy Now! and Free Speech TV. Her work has taken her
to Mexico, India, West Africa, and Palestine.
In 2011*,* Mayfield traveled to Wisconsin to cover the popular uprising
against legislation gutting basic workers rights. She stayed for seven
months, covering the story as it unfolded, ultimately producing from her
footage the 55-minute feature documentary film *Wisconsin Rising*.
Wisconsin Rising is Mayfield’s second documentary. In 2010*,* she made the
26-minute film, *Silenced Voices, *that tells the story of a young migrant
farmworker who was killed while working on a Vermont dairy farm. Mayfield
and two other Vermonters traveled to Mexico to return the boy’s body to his
family. There they interviewed family and community members about the
impacts of migration. *Silenced Voices* has been a useful tool in educating
lawmakers and citizens in Vermont .