Story of America

Does voting matter?

It's so frustrating to reply to people who say voting doesn't matter. What do you say? A conversation with Dr. Shamika Mitchell about what this election means for her. Host: Annabel Park @annabelpark on Twitter Dr. Shamika Mitchell @MutantXFactor on Twitter

9500 Liberty is a documentary about what happened in Prince William County, Virginia in 2007-08 when the county became divided over immigration policy. The county government mandated the local police to engage in racial profiling to “crack down on illegal immigration.” It features Corey Stewart who is currently running as the Republican candidate —calling himself “more Trump than Trump” —for the US Senate against incumbent Tim Kaine. 9500liberty.com Watch for free https://vimeo.com/128386646

Live from Mexico! At a shelter for asylum seekers with Facing Humanity. They walked for 45 days through Mexico from Guatemala.

The Headless Klansman of Selma — TRAILER

Not all Confederate monuments are old. A monument to the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan was erected in Selma, Alabama on Oct. 7, 2000. 12 years later, the bronze bust atop the statue was stolen, igniting a culture war between "white Selma" and "black Selma," and between two, dueling versions of history, both tied to present-day arguments about politics, culture, and policy. Short film by Eric Byler & Annabel Park premieres at the Richmond International Film Festival on April 28, 2018. Tickets: https://riff.eventive.org/films/5a8f09047a9416001452685a

Rest In Power, Muhiyyidin.

We are very sad to hear the news that Muhiyyidin D'baha died this morning from a gunshot wound in New Orleans. He was a courageous activist and a visionary community leader based in North Charleston, SC. This footage of him is from a North Charleston City Council meeting in December 2016. His family started a gofundme for the funeral costs https://www.gofundme.com/services-for-moya Read https://heavy.com/news/2018/02/muhiyidin-moye-dbaha-shooting-dead-suspect/

Khadijah celebrates the Alabama election with a series of phone calls with friends. She calls Doug Jones' victory a revolution and half jokes Alabama will get 45 out. She and her friends from Selma form the spine of American democracy. Respect.

"White lives matter" rally and counter protest.

William Barber on "The Third Reconstruction"

Bishop William Barber, leader of the Moral Monday movement and the Repairers of the Breach, explains that we are going through the "third reconstruction" of America. He puts the conflicts that we are experiencing in historical context. Dear friends: Renouncing white supremacy is not enough. We need to address the revisionism that feeds it with massive public education of our history. We need teachers of history to be interviewed on CNN, not people who will shout at each other about their differences on Donald Trump. We nominate William J. Barber, II, Timothy B. Tyson, Michelle Alexander, Isabel Wilkerson, Tom Turnipseed, Ian Haney Lopez, Damon L. Fordham, George Hopkins, Bob Zellner, and Al McSurely. - Annabel Park, producer of Story of America

Virginians debate the commemoration of the Confederate South. Should the community push to change the name of JEB Stuart HS named after Confederate Army General?

Hope is all I've got.

Why did this fifth generation coal miner in West Virginia vote for Trump? Story of America went to West Virginia to document Bernie Sanders' townhall about poverty in McDowell County, the poorest county in the second poorest state in the Union. Along the way, we met this fifth generation coal miner and Republican in Saulsville, West Virginia.

Protesters are everywhere today on Capitol Hill. They just showed up on their own with homemade signs after Elizabeth Warren was silenced last night by Republicans from speaking about the Jeff Sessions' confirmation as US Attorney General. #LetLizSpeak Video by Annabel Park in front of the Russell Senate Office Building

The people united.

We are fighting for the soul of America. #Dulles #MuslimBan

Interview at the Pro-life rally with Dennis Vu of Ohio.

We are at the Pro-Life March in DC. My guess is that this is about the same size as the Women's March in DC with just as much passion and diversity of people. This is an annual event though with plenty of time for planning group trips.

Trump supporter near the White House. "I'm here to support my president."