Free Screening: Documentary On Music Of The Civil Rights Movement

From The Ossining Documentary And Discussion Series: This month’s offering from The Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series (ODDS) is Soundtrack for a Revolution. The film is the next installment in the “Deconstructing Racism” series, and in recognition of February as Black History Month. The free screening will take place on Thursday, February 15 th , 2018 at the Ossining Public Library. Seating begins at 6:15 PM and all are welcome. A panel discussion will follow with three dynamic individuals with personal and professional expertise in music and the struggle for social justice.

2018, the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., offers a deeply important chance to consider the successes, failures, and lessons of the Movement he led – and how an unflinching evaluation of those times can help us understand and navigate the challenging times we’re living through now. Archival footage of the defiance and celebration embodied in the music of the Movement, and of non-violent protesters met with unapologetic violence, forms one thread of the documentary. There are also new interviews with people who participated in the events of the ‘50’s and ‘60’s, and reinterpretations of classic songs by some of our most beloved contemporary musical acts. As ReelTalk Movie Reviews put it, “It’s the clips of early television broadcast reportage – along with the emotional memories of those who participated, that still move one to tears, awe and pride.”

“We strive to engage panelists that reflect the diversity of voices at the forefront of the movements we explore in the Series. I look forward to learning from our panelists, who are all inspiring women of color. Each woman offers a unique perspective on justice and the power of music,” said ODDS co-founder Victoria Gearity, MC and Mayor of the Village of Ossining. “When Martin Luther King, Jr. talked about the ‘beloved community’ he meant people working together and bound together by love. Music can provide a historical account of the times. The central place music played in the Civil Rights Movement is a window into the joy and love that gave strength and resilience to those risking violence and even death to demand justice,” said ODDS other co-founder Suzie Ross, and Chair of Green Ossining.

As always, there will be a panel discussion after the film. Every month panelists with expertise in the subject of each film generously volunteer to help shed light on the issues raised. Audience members are encouraged to respond honestly and ask their questions. The panel for this film is particularly powerful: KJ Denhert, immensely popular local vocalist and songwriter who participated in the Civil Rights Movement in New York City; Yolanda F. Johnson, soprano, composer, and change agent, who among other lectures and recitals on the music of liberation, offers “Spirituals of the Underground Railroad;” and Elsa Waithe, Brooklyn-based comedian and activist on the front lines of today’s struggle for Civil Rights. The Ossining Documentary and Discussion Series is organized by a committee of volunteers committed to bringing their “community together one film at a time.” This will be the group’s 54th screening since its founding in 2013. The public is invited to visit OssiningDocumentaries.org to learn about upcoming films on a wide variety of other topics. Screenings are always free and all are welcome.

Additional biographical information on the panelists:

KJ Denhert’s special blend of urban folk & jazz will move you to laugh, to dance, and even to cry. She performs and records constantly, has received many prestigious awards, appeared at scores of festivals, and is a regular in many well-loved establishments. KJ was the first US citizen in her small Grenadian family and picked up her first guitar at ten. She toured with an all-female band called Fire, started the Mother Cyclone label, then formed the NY Unit, a group she still performs with. KJ performs to adoring audiences locally, nationally, and globally.

Yolanda F. Johnson is a performing artist, an educator, and a supporter of the arts. She performs opera, concert, oratorio, and sacred music nationally and internationally, and is a recitalist / lecturer on Spirituals of the Underground Railroad and other subjects. She starred in Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed that Line to Freedom, Clarence and Anita and Cendrillon.

Yolanda is Music Director at First Baptist Church of Tarrytown and serves as a Board Member for the Foundation for Post-Conflict Development, and for Women in Development, New York. Elsa Waithe is a comedian and activist from Norfolk, VA now residing in Brooklyn, NY. Elsa's comedy is a mix of critical but lighthearted jabs at race and homosexuality. Elsa's work has been featured in AM NY, New York Post, NPR's This American Life, Gold Comedy, and them.us. In her This American Life segment her story of “The Heart Wants What It Wants” begins at a Black Lives Matter protest in Grand Central Station.

She started a monthly showcase in Brooklyn called Affirmative Laughter which spotlights groups
“underrepresented in comedy.” The Series is supported by a generous Arts Alive grant from ArtsWestchester and by its Grand Sponsors, Ossining’s SBS Printing and Shipping, Matthew and Cinthia Gullotta, and Down to Earth Markets, who manage Ossining’s Farmers’ Market. Friends of the Series and Screening Sponsors are acknowledged at the screenings and on the ODDS website. Partners and affiliates include Green
Ossining, the Ossining Public Library, the Ossining Arts Council, and Energize NY.

Image via The Ossining Documentary And Discussion Series