LIGHTS! CAMERA! TAKE ACTION!!
FILM SCREENING BRINGS COMMUNITY ACTIVISM TO LAKE COUNTY
LIGHTS!
CAMERA!
TAKE ACTION!!
Organized by Cool Learning Experience, Brushwood Center and College of Lake County
LIGHTS! CAMERA! TAKE ACTION!!, a new film and community conversation series, launches September 16 at the College of Lake County Lakeshore Campus. The program is a collaboration between Cool Learning Experience, Brushwood Center, and College of Lake County - Lakeshore with documentary filmmaker Emmett Williams. The first event of this three-part series will focus on immigration and the stories and needs of undocumented neighbors.
The evening includes a screening of The Garcia Family directed by program creator Emmett Williams. This 30-minute documentary tells the story of Alex Garcia, who took sanctuary in a church for three years in St. Louis to avoid deportation. If sent back to his native Honduras he would be unable to see his wife and children for at least 10 years. The Garcia Family is an inspiring documentary telling the story of how the family and their community came together in the face of an impossible situation.
The panel discussion on September 16 will be moderated by Natalia Ospina/Brushwood Center and will include Celeste Flores/Mano A Mano, Lesley Tenorio/Hispanic American Community Education and Services and Juan Carlos Arroyo/Community Member.
Mr. Williams and Cool Learning Experience (CLE) teamed up to create LIGHTS! CAMERA! TAKE ACTION!! (LCTA) to raise awareness and promote action using documentary films about topics relevant to Lake County communities. Williams is the first Digital Fellow for CLE, a Waukegan based nonprofit devoted to nurturing the well-being of the whole child and their healthy connections to family, community, and nature.
“Over the past several years, communities around the country have seen and felt the power of activism and have asked how they can become part of making this world a better place. LIGHTS! CAMERA! TAKE ACTION!! gives the audience the tools to make a difference,”
-Williams stated
College of Lake County - Lakeshore (CLC-L) is partnering with LCTA to provide space each month. The College of Lake County provides equitable high-quality education, cultural enrichment, and partnerships to advance the diverse communities it serves. LCTA is another example of how Brushwood Center works collaboratively with community partners, artists, health care providers, and scientists to improve health equity and access to nature in Lake County, Illinois, and the Chicago region.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! TAKE ACTION!! is designed to empower citizens with tools to become more active and engaged within their community. Screening at the campus of College of Lake County - Lakeshore: the evening program series consists of a film screening connected to an issue impacting Lake County, Q&A and a panel discussion with local activists and community leaders and finally audience members sharing how to become more `civically engaged in their community.