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News10/8/2008 Trick-or-Vote: Democracy Knocks on Your Door This Halloween
This Halloween when you hear the doorbell ring, you might find democracy at your door instead of ghosts or goblins. Trick-or-Vote, in conjunction with the Bus Project, is launching a nationwide get-out-the-vote campaign this Halloween in more than 25 cities across the United States. “What’s the one day of the year we culturally are ready for a knock on the door?” explains Trick-or-Vote national coordinator Alex Aronson. “You may be too old to trick-or-treat, but you’re never too old to trick-or-vote.” Inspired by studies that show that face-to-face contact is the most effective way to increase voter turnout, Trick-or-Vote will be organizing at least 5,000 volunteers who, in one night, plan to knock on more than 100,000 doors. The volunteers will pass out nonpartisan voter guides and reminders. And at the end of the night, many volunteers will celebrate their success at a Trick-or-Vote party featuring a band that’s a local favorite or, in some cases, nationally known. The event follows the success of a Trick-or-Vote Halloween evening in 2004, when the campaign knocked on more than 25,000 doors in Oregon. The Trick-or-Vote 2004 campaign, which was driven by more than 800 volunteers, was the biggest mass canvass in Oregon history. Volunteer and get a list of Trick-or-Vote cities at trickorvote.org >> The Bus Project is a member organization of Generation Vote, a national partner of Vote Democracy. Find out more at genvote.org >> 
8/29/2008 The City of Los Angeles Officially Launches VOTE DEMOCRACY! Classroom at City Hall
On July 23, 2008, the Independent Television Service (ITVS) officially launched the VOTE DEMOCRACY! curriculum for ITVS Community Classroom in Los Angeles at an education and civics celebration at Los Angeles’s City Hall. The event was co-presented by the City of Los Angeles and PBS member station KCET. Over 200 educators, politicians and community leaders attended the event, which was also designed to celebrate and promote Los Angeles’s civic engagement programs. Master of ceremonies Richard Montoya, City of Los Angeles cultural affairs commissioner, officially welcomed ITVS and KCET, along with educational organizers including Noah Ickowitz of the Los Angeles Youth Council and Julie Magallanes-Guevara, executive director of Getty House, the official Los Angeles mayoral residence. Nicole Gant, an English teacher at Wilmington’s Banning High School, discussed how teachers can incorporate VOTE DEMOCRACY!’S Community Classroom materials into their own courses. Chi Do, ITVS’s national community relations manager, presented Community Classroom’s goals and core components, highlighting the program’s foundation in civic education and engagement. Launched in fall 2007, the Community Classroom program has reached an estimated 70,000 students through high schools, community colleges and youth organizations, providing educators with video modules of the films, discussion guides and other educational resources. In the months leading up to the November 2008 election campaign, the VOTE DEMOCRACY! campaign will highlight the film CHICAGO 10, which airs on Independent Lens in October. The film portrays the protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention and the Chicago Conspiracy Trial that resulted. Working with CHICAGO 10 and other selected films, the VOTE DEMOCRACY! edition of Classroom will continue to expand its curriculum and initiate programs in new schools and cities throughout the U.S. See photos from the event at Flickr >>
7/16/2008 Oakland Town Hall Focuses on Hip-Hop and Politics
How can and should hip-hop inspire listeners to get involved politically? On May 2, 2008 at the Oakland Museum of California, over 250 people attended a town hall centered on that question. Sponsored by KQED, the Town Business Network and ITVS, the evening's discussion focused on how hip-hop can mobilize young voters, and how hip-hop artists and fans can bridge the perceived gap between politicians and the issues that concern local communities. Hip-hop historian and journalist Davey D moderated a panel that included Eric K. Arnold, journalist for East Bay Express; Sean Kennedy, owner of Moses Music in Oakland; DLabrie, member of Hip Hop Congress; and Malika, MTV artist from Making the Band. Before the panel discussion, attendees also took part in a series of instant polls, supplied by Turning Technologies, which allowed participants to instantly view and discuss the votes of everyone at the event. Listen to select clips from the evening’s discussion >>
6/2/2008 Over 3,000 Attend Screenings of IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA
In February and March 2008, over 3,000 people in 45 cities gathered in theaters, community centers and campuses across the country to watch and discuss IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA, generating awareness of the film to support its broadcast premiere on Independent Lens. IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA is a behind-the-scenes look at Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s first year in office and her administration’s efforts to develop and rebuild their ravaged country. Discussions and panels after the film centered on the relationship between the United States and Liberia; the impact of large businesses in developing countries; and the rising clout and prominence of women political leaders. View photos from IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA events and screenings >> Highlights included: The Carter Center The Carter Center welcomed more than 200 people at a special screening of IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA, which featured a panel with Co-Director Siatta Scott-Johnson, Producer Jonathan Stack, Rev. William Harris of the International Christian Fellowship and Augustine Konneh, former chairman of history at Morehouse College. The post-screening discussion, moderated by Dr. John Stremlau, vice president of peace programs at the Carter Center, focused on obstacles facing President Sirleaf’s administration, the role of women in politics and the complex role the United States and other nations play in providing aid and other subsidies to Liberia. Starz Film Center Daniel Junge, director of IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA, joined a panel that included James Kuhman, co-founder of Hope for Children of Africa, and three Liberian natives, Isaac Constance, Rose Smith and Zoe Darling. Attendees at the event included panelist Rose Smith's young daughter who asked a question about her mother's escape from Liberia during the war. According to Allison Inman, Rocky Mountain PBS producer of the event, nearly everyone stayed until the end of the post-screening discussion. Oakland Museum of California The Oakland Museum of California welcomed Director Daniel Junge to the panel discussion that included, among others, Mary Anderton, director of the League of Women Voters, San Francisco, and Sande Smith, senior communications officer for the Global Fund For Women. Over 300 community members turned out for this event, which took place on the night of the California primaries. The discussion spanned a wide range of issues, including the strings attached to foreign aid provided to Liberia, gender and politics and the impact of Ellen’s education and training on her domestic and foreign policy. Several audience members shared updated information about the conflict with Firestone in Liberia and offered ways people could get involved to support the Firestone workers. National Constitution Center The IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA screening at the National Constitution Center brought together a sizeable turnout from the Liberian community, including Miss Liberia of Pennsylvania. After the film, Jane Eisner, vice president of national programs at the National Constitution Center, moderated a conversation with Dr. Teta Banks, honorary consul general of the Republic of Liberia, and Amie Sarnor, a 16-year-old émigré from Liberia. Ms. Sarnor recounted her experiences of arriving in America in 2000 to reunite with her family who, for years, had been separated by Liberia’s civil war.
5/14/2008 VOTE DEMOCRACY! Campaign Launches With Town Hall Event
Does Your Vote Count in California? was the question at the official launch for the VOTE DEMOCRACY! campaign on March 18th at the Oakland Museum of California. National Public Radio Correspondent Richard Gonzales moderated a lively discussion that examined the strengths and shortcomings of our electoral system, alternatives to the Electoral College and whether the votes of California citizens will be counted equally this election year. ITVS was honored to welcome the following distinguished guests as panelists: Derek Cressman from Common Cause; Loni Hancock, California assemblymember, 14th district; Steven Hill from the New America Foundation; John Koza from National Popular Vote; and Kim Zetter from Wired News. Clips from the campaign films IRON LADIES OF LIBERIA and PLEASE VOTE FOR ME were screened. The evening began with remarks from Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen on the important role that media plays in promoting civic engagement and dialogue in communities across America. Listen to select clips from the evening’s discussion >>
2/21/2008 Nine Public Television Stations Awarded Grants to Encourage New Voices In The Political Arena
ITVS has awarded outreach grants to nine public television stations for projects relating to the goals of the VOTE DEMOCRACY! campaign. Each station will receive $5,000 to fund the following projects: Detroit Public Television (DPTV) KAET
KET
NET
RMPBS
WHUT
WHYY
WPBT
WTTW
2/8/2008 Three million Americans under 30 voted on Super Tuesday Over three million Americans under 30 voted in Super Tuesday’s elections, according to initial estimates by CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning & Engagement). If voter participation in the eight states that participated in Super Tuesday 2000 is compared with the same eight states in 2008, turnout among young voters either tripled of quadrupled. Some of the highlights:
View the complete list of estimated voter turnout rates among Americans under 30 >>
11/1/2007 Democracy, Gender and Politics, Civic Education in Schools—Hot Topics at PLEASE VOTE FOR ME Screenings Nationwide
In PLEASE VOTE FOR ME, eight-year-old children compete for the position of class monitor in the first school election of its kind held in Wuhan, China. Over 1,500 people attended ITVS Community Cinema screenings of the film in more than 40 cities across the U.S. Many events featured mock elections, with audience members casting their own votes for the young candidates featured in the film. In Seattle, for example, underdog Xu Xaofei won by a landslide, with 55 percent of the vote. Through these events audiences learned more about contemporary Chinese culture and politics and reflected on democracy here in the U.S. and the importance of civic education in the classroom. In St. Louis, the post-screening discussion centered on the role of gender in politics, with audience members comparing what happened in the film to how women are represented in U.S. politics. In Chicago, the audience discussed the emerging middle class in China. In Oakland, an audience member commented on her experience as a teacher in the 1980s in Wuhan Province, where the film takes place, and how inspired she was to see the film portray “a Wuhan that is much more open” today. The League of Women Voters provided voter registration tables at several events. Who would you vote for? Check out one audience member’s response on Your Lens >> Find VOTE DEMOCRACY! screenings in your community >> |
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