ONLINE: "Trace the Line" Conversations
courtesy Bravebird
Joselynne Joy Gardner is assistant deputy general counsel for the Chicago Board of Education.
Filming for the Madison-based production company Bravebird's latest work, Trace the Line, was completed during the pandemic and the ongoing nationwide protests for racial justice. Director Alejandro Miranda Cruz will host conversations with community leaders from three cities that were a focus of protests in 2020: Angela Rose Myers Moroles, Minneapolis NAACP president; Joselynne Joy Gardner, Chicago Board of Education assistant deputy general counsel; and S.R. Mills, CEO of Bear Development in Kenosha. The livestream also features a Q&A with Porche Bennett-Bey, founder of United as One in Kenosha. Sign up here for a link to the event.
press release: The dual pandemic of COVID-19 and racial injustice laid bare wounds and weaknesses in our communities that did not fade when we left 2020 behind.
The killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha sparked a new wave of social justice movements right here in the Midwest. But these tragic events transpired in places where we also too frequently hide under the cover of “nice” to avoid the conversations we desperately need to have about racism, inequality and where we go from here.
To spark a deeper dialogue during Black History Month that helps move our communities forward with healing, dignity and direction, the makers of the independent feature film Trace the Line will host a virtual conversation on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at 7 p.m. with community leaders from three Midwestern cities significantly impacted by the events of the last year: Chicago, Kenosha, Wis., and Minneapolis. The event is free and open to those who pre-register at www.wearebravebird.com/conversations
The premiere of the trailer for Trace the Line will serve as a springboard for discussions that touch on the critical human and societal issues in the film, highlighting local leaders and efforts to address them:
Not Being a Bystander: Angela Rose Myers, President of the Minneapolis NAACP
Black Excellence + Dealing with Trauma: Joselynne Joy Gardner, Assistant Deputy General Counsel, Board of Education of the City of Chicago
Connecting Across Divides: S.R. Mills, CEO of Bear Development, Kenosha, Wis.
The conversations will be followed by a live Q&A — centered on the theme of “Moving Forward” — with Porche Bennett-Bey, Founder of the Kenosha groups United as One and Moorish Outreach Coalition, who was named one of Time magazine's Guardians of the Year in 2020.
“Whether it’s the weight of emotional exhaustion, the pain of civil unrest, or the isolation imposed upon us, now, more than ever, we need narratives that offer insight, hope, and vision,” said Alejandro Miranda Cruz, director of Trace the Line, who will host the event. “Like our film, these conversations will share a story of transformation and offer a message of hope to imagine a better world for all of us.”
Trace the Line, which is currently in post-production, was shot in Wisconsin during the pandemic and features documentary footage captured from the heart of the peaceful protests in Minneapolis. It tells the story of two young artists — a Black poet wrestling with his purpose and a White painter facing her privilege. Cruz and Noel Miranda are the co-founders of Bravebird, an Indigenous and female-owned video production company based in Madison, Wisconsin, transforming the process of filmmaking to create authentic narratives that portray all people with dignity.
SPEAKER BIOS
ANGELA ROSE MYERS
NAACP MINNEAPOLIS PRESIDENT
Angela Rose Myers is the president of the Minneapolis NAACP and research assistant to the director of the Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice. After graduating with a Bachelor's in Arts from Barnard College, Columbia University, in Africana Studies and Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies, she returned to her hometown to make change on the local level. As a social justice advocate, organizer, and researcher, Angela’s goals are to create bridges between community members, elected officials, and experts in critical race theory.
JOSELYNNE JOY GARDNER
ASSISTANT DEPUTY GENERAL COUNSEL,
BOARD OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
A graduate of the John Marshall Law School at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Joselynne Joy Gardner is a former prosecutor and city leader. She participated in the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy, which connects government and nonprofit leaders with experts to find innovative solutions to problems in Chicago like housing equity, gun violence, and community based government initiatives. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Minority Legal Education Resources, Inc. whose mission is to increase diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Joselynne was recently featured in the Chicago Sun-Times discussing the struggle of having the “The Talk” with her son following the death of George Floyd about how to be safe during encounters with the police.
S.R. MILLS
CEO OF BEAR DEVELOPMENT
S.R. Mills is the Chief Executive Officer and a principal of Bear Real Estate Group. Each company within Bear plays a pivotal role in the acquisition, development and construction of commercial real estate and master planned residential communities. Bear is continually ranked as one of the top 20 largest developers of affordable housing in the country. S.R. joined the Bear Family of companies in 2002. Prior to his career with Bear, he worked with several technology companies in northern California. He earned his bachelor’s degree in real estate, finance and investment from St. Cloud State University and his master’s in real estate from Roosevelt University. He also holds the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation and previously served as a director of the Wisconsin CCIM board. S.R. is an active member of the University of Wisconsin Parkside Foundation Board, Mary Lou & Arthur F. Mahone Foundation and KAFASI (Kenosha Area Family and Aging Services).
PORCHE BENNETT-BEY
FOUNDER OF UNITED AS ONE AND THE MOORISH OUTREACH COALITION
Porche Bennett-Bey is an Army veteran, mother of three and a lifelong Kenosha resident active in the social justice movement, Porche is a racial justice advocate and founder of the Kenosha group United As One. She drew national attention when she told then-presidential candidate Joe Biden he needed to better understand the Black experience in her hometown during his visit to the city following the shooting of Jacob Blake. She was named one of Time magazine’s Guardians of the Year in 2020, honoring people who “put themselves on the line to defend the ideals sacred to democracy.”
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