I Am the Future at the Putnam - After Action Report
Our I Am the Future film moderator, AbdurRhamaan (Abdur) Howard, and his cousin, Chase
PACG is proud to have collaborated with community partners from The Putnam Museum and Science Center, WQPT: PBS, and WVIK: NPR, to present a special film screening of I am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past, last Sunday, October 22nd. As progressives, we believe that it is important for our community to come together to learn about and discuss the issues surrounding civil rights activism. We hosted this free, family-friendly event to not only showcase this incredible film, but also to provide an opportunity for our community to engage in meaningful conversations about how we can all be activists for civil rights. This film is a powerful portrayal of the struggles and triumphs of local civil rights activists and serves as an inspiring call to action for all those who believe in equality and justice.
In early 2022, as her PACG presidency began, Glenda Guster decided that she wanted to interview acquaintances of hers who had important social justice experiences in the mid-20th century for an article for our Progressive Action Update (PAU) weekly newsletter. But some members of PACG suggested that we videotape these people to preserve the history firsthand. So, PACG did what it often does - we established a committee to work on this idea!
It was decided that our goals for this project included
- preserving local Black history
- educating our communities, and
- inspiring our membership in activism
With this in mind, we approached four of Glenda's friends and asked if we could interview them about their experiences. The following individuals agreed to speak to us about their experiences: Attorney Catherine (Kitty) Alexander, Rev. Gabriel Barber III, Dr. Henry Brockington, former Davenport Mayor Bill Gluba, and student moderator AbdurRahmaan (Abdur) Howard. The film’s stars, with the exception of Catherine (Kitty) Alexander, were special guests at our event at the Putnam this week and participated in an enlightening Q&A session following the film. Approximately 60 adults and 25 children were in attendance. Read more about our film stars at this blog post.
Other community organizations participated in tabling and conversation prior to the film screening. We want to thank our friends doing important social justice work in the community for attending: Davenport Civil Rights Commission, NAACP-Davenport Branch #4019, One Human Family QCA, and The Project of the Quad Cities.
Thank you to everyone involved in the creation of this film, our hosts and sponsors, and all of our friends, members and supporters for attending and making it such a great event!
And if you just want to watch our film, the latest version is here.
Maggie Davis
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