The Takeover
Through a program at Hope Community in Minneapolis, teens are using the Public Achievement organizing model as a way to understand power and make collective change.
As part of their work and learning, they began filming a documentary last fall about a group of African American students who, in 1969, occupied an administrative office at the University of Minnesota to demand that the university improve attitudes toward minorities. "This was a very inhospitable place for African-Americans," said takeover participant John Wright in a 2006 interview with Minnesota Public Radio. "If you were black, you could not live in University of Minnesota dormitories in this, a public university."
Tomorrow, the Dept. of African American and African Studies will host the world premiere of Standing on the Shoulders of Giants as part of a conference marking the 40th anniversary of the department's founding. The screening is open to the public.
"Standing on the Shoulders of Giants"
Saturday, January 24, 10:00 AM
President's Room, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota
Read about a film festival held last year at the Weisman Art Museum featuring the work of young people from St. Paul and Minneapolis, including Hope Community.
