Join us for a free film screening and panel discussion of Revisioning Recovery: Films Uncovering the Roots of Disaster.

Communities across North Carolina, and the United States, have faced increasing threats from climate disasters including hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and tornadoes which leave them hoping to recover before the next climate event occurs. Equitable disaster preparedness and recovery are important, especially in communities where preparation and recovery efforts have historically experienced inequities. Revisioning Recovery examines and explores the issue of how preparedness and recovery can become more inclusive and allow everyone to thrive.

Revisioning Recovery features a collection of five short films that tell environmental disaster recovery stories and examine historical inequities that worsen when disasters hit.

This event is presented by: Wake Forest Historical Museum, Wake Forest University, North Carolina Humanities, and Working Films.

This event will include a live viewing of the films and a post-screening panel discussion featuring:

Adrienne Kennedy (Community Organizer, Seeds of H.O.P.E CDC; Robeson County resident featured in Robeson Rises)

Adrienne Kennedy is a mother of three from Robeson County. She is the community organizer for Seeds of H.O.P.E Disaster Recovery Center, a non-profit community development organization or CDC. H.O.P.E stands for 'holding onto purpose every day'. It's mission is to invest and reinvest in Lumberton, NC during disaster and recovery. H.O.P.E. is on the move to enhance communities by creating employment, engaging in economic development projects, and providing educational and law programs that will provide empowerment and sustainability for families. It's motto is "Building families stronger, not quicker, one family at a time." The CDC maintains a disaster recovery center in Lumberton, N.C. geared toward relief, response, rebuilding, recovery and incident preparedness. Kennedy is currently working on a strategic plan for an economic development and solar incentive project for the community.

Bradley Bethel (Producer, Robeson Rises)

Bradley Bethel teaches high school English and journalism and has produced multiple documentary films. Before Robeson Rises, Bradley produced Radioactive Veteran, a documentary about a Marine veteran's struggles following his exposure to the military's nuclear testing. Bradley regards Robeson Rises as one of his most rewarding producing experiences because it was all about amplifying the voices of a diverse community in service of Environmental Justice.

Dr. Mary Ann Jacobs (Chair, American Indian Studies at UNC Pembroke; Director, Center for the Study of the American South)

Dr. Mary Ann Jacobs chairs the American Indian Studies department at UNC Pembroke. She grew up in the Robeson County community and has many friends and most of her siblings, cousins, aunts, and uncles there. She teaches the History and Culture of the Lumbee, Native Populations, Introduction to AIS, and Contemporary Issues in AIS (graduate and undergraduate). Jacobs says "the family and community ties that I have here are intertwined with the land and the river that are both inextricable parts of being Lumbee. The value and relationships between land and people are critical to understanding Native American and Indigenous peoples here in Robeson County and around the globe. The health of the land is reflected in the people. The phrases "we are all related" and "all my relations" include all living beings. The health of our planet is directly related to human health."

Michael Pogoloff (Director, Robeson Rises)

Michael Pogoloff is a filmmaker, motion designer and content creator. He holds an undergraduate degree in US History and a Masters in Art and Design focusing in New Media and Animation from NC State. His graduate work focused on the rise of conspiracy theory documentaries, fascist propaganda and antisemitism in the digital age. His thesis was titled We Lie the Truth: Animated Documentary as Subversive Counter-Environment. Pogoloff's involvement with environment activists loosely goes back to the anti globalization movement of the late 90’s early 2000’s, when he was doing documentary photography. While he's been around a lot of social justice groups and participated in many protests and mutual aid activity, he had never been as directly involved with environmental activism specifically as he was with Robeson Rises. Pogoloff says "I heard about the ACP, and I wanted to get involved and thought it was really ripe for some effective media activism. I came on as a volunteer and advisor in the early stages. I was brought into the project by Nick Wood, who was planning the early conceptual stages of the project with Appalachian Voices. Being a community based film, I drove out to Robeson County a few times just to meet people, gain trust and see how they were recovering from Hurricane Matthew before we actually started discussing the film. Then we held a community meeting where we surveyed ideas for what they would want the film to be focused on, while trying to give realistic expectations from a filmmakers perspective."

Naeema Muhammad (Organizing Co-Director, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network)

Ms. Muhammad is Organizing Co-Director of the North Carolina Environmental Justice Network (ncejn.wordpress.com), an organization whose mission is to promote health and environmental equality for all people of North Carolina through community action for clean industry, safe work places and fair access to all human and natural resources. NCEJN's current initiatives include supporting the work of environmental advocates and allies throughout the state and working to raise awareness about key environmental issues in the state including lake groundwater contamination and cleanup, confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), hydrofracking, solid waste management and climate change impacts on communities of color and low income communities including flooding, displacement.

Moderated by: Dr. David P. Phillips (Associate Professor, Department of Interdisciplinary Humanities at Wake Forest University; Affiliated faculty, Environmental Studies Program)

Dr. David Phillips' areas of teaching and research crisscross a number of subjects, with an interest in humanity, power of place, design, and the environment. Drawing from his background in architectural and urban planning studies, his recent research examines the challenges of communities in coastal areas, particularly the need for resilience strategies and resources to help coastal communities be better prepared for sea level rise and storm surge. Courses in urban design, sustainable architecture and planning prepare students to better understand the need for smart growth strategies. Personal narratives teach his students about the human face of disasters, the importance of equitable public policy to protect communities in low-lying and coastal flood zones, and the power of design to help communities develop resilient practices. His courses in humanities, environment and gender studies examine models of community empowerment, approaches to creating places and spaces of diversity and inclusion, and the need to better understand and improve human relations with nature, moving from exploitative reliance on natural resources to interdependent ones that include respect for non-human forms of life.

The films will be available with open captions in English. If you need any accessibility services for this event, please fill out the following form by March 16: bit.ly/revisioningaccess.

Learn more about NC Humanities and Working Films below:

www.nchumanities.org

www.workingfilms.org