Fragile Democracy
Fragile Democracy was a series of virtual events and a get out the vote initiative. We partnered with six women+ filmmakers, plus grassroots organizations and colleges around the country to increase voter turnout in the 2020 general election.
The Events
Watch Party for The Brink
Wednesday, October 7, 2020, 6:30-8pm EST
Ahead of a vice-presidential debate, we held a virtual watch party of Alison Klayman’s documentary The Brink that follows the divisive figure Steve Bannon during the 2018 US midterm elections. Technologist & activist Daly Barnett was also part of the conversation. As they watched the film, viewers could message with Alison and Daly in real time.
Instagram Live Convo: Racial Justice & the 2020 Election
Tuesday, October 13, 2020, 2:30pm ET
A conversation with Ilona Duverge of Movement School in New York and Angela Lang of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) in Wisconsin, about racial justice, #BlackLivesMatter, and the 2020 election.
What’s at Stake? Our Vote.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020, 6-7:30pm ET
A virtual conversation on how it’s possible to organize beyond the options that are available at the polls, and explore all avenues for change-making.
Speakers: Marjan Safinia, Director, And She Could Be Next; Alison Klayman, Director, The Brink; Norma Flores López, Chief Programs Officer of Justice for Migrant Women.
Moderator: Anjanette Levert, Filmmaker and Professor at Documentary Film at Spelman College
Co-hosted by Agnes Scott College, in partnership with The New Georgia Project.
What’s at Stake? Our Voice.
Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 6:30-8pm ET
Social media platforms have the power to galvanize voters and mobilize communities. But they have also been used against us through the spread of misinformation. Four panelists with experience across trans-national movements discussed the parallels between media literacy and democratic participation, how we can appropriately evaluate disinformation, and protect our voice.
Speakers: Dr. Willie Keaton, Restorative Justice CLT; Rachel Lears, Director, Knock Down the House; Petra Costa, Director, The Edge of Democracy; Leymah Gbowee, Peace Activist & 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate
Moderator: Mikelina Belaineh, Director of Criminal Justice Law and Policy
Co-hosted by Myers Baptist Church, Wells Fargo Center for Community Engagement at Queens University of Charlotte, Stan Greenspon Center for Peace Social Justice at Queens University & League of Women Voters of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. In partnership with Restorative Justice CLT.
What’s at Stake? Our Democracy.
Wednesday, October 21, 2020, 7-8:30pm ET
Four community organizers explored the different facets of what a movement is or can be, and the various roles needed to sustain them.
Speakers: Marjan Safinia, Director, And She Could be Next; Ashley O’Shay, Director, Unapologetic; Yamila Ruiz, National High Road Director, One Fair Wage; Sonya Renee Taylor, The Body is Not An Apology Author & Activist
Moderator: Astra Taylor, Filmmaker, Activist & Author, most recently of Democracy May Not Exist, But We’ll Miss It When It’s Gone
Co-hosted by St. Norbert College Norman Miller Center for Peace, Justice and Public Understanding, The Menard Center for the Study of Institutions and Innovation at UW Stout & The Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. In Partnership with Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC).
Queer Liberation & the 2020 Election
Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 1-2pm ET
Speakers talked about what that future looks like, what civic engagement can help us achieve, and the many tactics required to achieve true queer liberation.
Speakers include Bamby Salcedo, founder and president of Trans Latin@ Coalition; Kai Breaux, writer and activist, specializing in decolonial feminist studies; Säsha Braun, poet, theorist and activist. Moderated by Nina Kossoff, Third Wave Fund advisory council and founder of ThemsHealth.
The Films
And She Could Be Next
Grace Lee and Marjan Safinia, Directors
This is the story of a defiant movement of women of color, including Rashida Talib and Lucy McBath, transforming politics from the ground up. Can democracy be preserved and made stronger by those historically marginalized?
The Brink
Alison Klayman, Director
Shadow a downfallen Steve Bannon through the same 2018 elections, as he used his efforts to mobilize and unify far-right parties to form a global populist movement.
The Edge of Democracy
Petra Costa, Director
By zooming in on Brazil, with access to three presidents, see how the erosion of democracy takes place, opening the way for the rise of an authoritarian leader.
The Great Hack
Jehane Noujaim, Director
In an era of data manipulation as political warfare, explore the seismic ripples of the Cambridge Analytica/Facebook data scandal.
Knock Down the House
Rachel Lears, Director
Follow the story of four women congressional challengers in 2018, including AOC before she became a household acronym, at a moment of historic volatility in American politics.
Unapologetic
Ashley O’Shay, Director
Told through the lens of Janaé and Bella, two fierce abolitionist leaders, challenging state violence after two killings of Black residents, take a deep look into the Movement for Black Lives in Chicago.
Watch the Reel
