Street Fight : A Film Screening and a Discussion
12.07.2009 // by: Alison
This Thursday night, Stand is pleased to be teaming up with Elizabeth Crews to present Street Fight, a documentary film about Cory Booker, the progressive community activist who became the Mayor of Newark, NJ as of 2006. The movie screening will be followed by a community conversation in which several local political leaders will discuss their paths to office, and together we’ll ask questions about what it will take to see new leaders emerge and be a part of shaping the future of our communities.
Hailed by the Washington Post as “the best American political documentary since 1993’s The War Room,” the Oscar-nominated documentary Street Fight is a riveting story about the underbelly of American democracy. Directed by Marshall Curry, the film chronicles the bare-knuckles race for mayor of Newark, N.J. between Cory Booker, a 32-year old Rhodes Scholar/Yale Law School grad, and Sharpe James, the four-term incumbent twice his age. Street Fight captures a rarely-seen style of politics that is not about spin-doctors, media consultants, or photo ops. In Newark, we discover, elections are won and lost in the streets.
Elizabeth Crews is a graduate of UTC’s Political Science department who worked as a campaign staffer in Georgia and Ohio during Barack Obama’s presidential run. Crews’ personal mission is to get Chattanoogans more engaged in local politics—from voting in local elections, to running for public office.
“For too long, too many people have turned a blind eye to politics in the region,” says Crews. “As an Obama campaign staffer, I witnessed first hand the power of everyday citizens taking responsibility for their futures. This is a chance for us to start a conversation about how we can create and sustain more involvement in our politics, and our future. I’m very proud of the Stand organizers’ ability to engage the community in a new way and am looking forward to watching—and participating—as the project moves into a new stage.”
The film will be followed by a brief community conversation facilitated by District 8 Councilman Andrae McGary, Justin Wilkins, the Tennessee director of Organizing for America, the organization that evolved out of the Obama campaign, and Crews herself.
Join Stand and Ms. Crews at green|spaces from 7-9 pm on Thursday, Dec 10 for beer, snacks, inspirational film-viewing and rousing discussion.
For more information about the film, visit http://www.marshallcurry.com.
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