In the News

Daily Review, March 1, 2007

Film Series Aims to Spark Dialogue

By Martin Ricard, Staff Writer

SAN LEANDRO — The San Leandro Community Action Network, a progressive grass-roots organization, is launching its monthly film series today at Zocalo Coffeehouse.

With controversial topics such as racism, same-sex marriage and the war in Iraq, the group hopes to push a few buttons.

But the films' controversy promises more than just a night at the movies, the group says. All the topics chosen have relevance to San Leandro and reflect the city's growing diversity.

"It's because SLCAN, we all are a group of people really dedicated to San Leandro and we want to increase the sense of community," said Jill Rogers-Quaye, the organizer of the film series. "So we thought the film series ... would draw people in the community interested in the topics and sort of start a dialogue."

Since it was formed last year, SLCAN, composed mainly of young families that have moved into the city within the past decade, has been gradually expanding. Acting as a political watchdog, the group hosted a number of candidate forums during the nearly yearlong City Council elections, sent letters to the school board and met to discuss their agendas.

Now that their mission as an organization is clearer, Rogers-Quaye said, members are hoping the film series will attract people in the city to get more involved in San Leandro's political future and possibly join the organization.

Moreover, the group hopes the same conversations that brought members together in the first place — the state of the schools, priorities of City Hall, health of local businesses and desire for a more comprehensive community — will spark a new conversation on inclusiveness in the city.

Tim Holmes, owner of Zocalo Coffeehouse and co-founder of the organization, said issues such as race, homophobia and discrimination would have been censored in the past. But the city's changing demographics call for a dialogue to take place that does not shy away from acknowledging past and recent changes, he said.

The first films that will air today, "The Suburban Wall" and "The Invisible Wall," break open those barriers, Holmes said. Both documentaries touch on housing discrimination in San Leandro during the 60s and '70s.

Others include "Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible," a film about what it means to challenge racism in the country from the vantage point of white men and women; "Both My Moms' Names Are Judy," a controversial short about the children of same-sex couples; and "All About Darfur," about one of the worst conflict regions in Africa.

Holmes said he hopes the film series sends a message that sparks more communication between City Hall and residents, and that ultimately promotes reconciliation.

"The film series is going to bring up issues on how the city's run," he said. "I'm not sure if they've been shown in public discussion form, and where we've come from is not that long ago. So we want to start that conversation."