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Saturday, March 20 - 2pm On Saturday, March 20th at 2pm, Attorney Eric Sirotkin will lead a dialogue at Woodland Pattern Book Center, exploring how the creative use of language may instigate change in ways that neither legal action nor traditional protest strategies can do alone. This workshop will provide an opportunity for both seasoned and budding local poets to share their social justice-motivated words and poetry.
In the wake of his termination, Nevins and others engaged in peaceful protest of the war were brutally assaulted by police. "Free Speech Zones" were set up out of the public view and the effects within the classroom were equally censoring. Media coverage of Nevins' dismissal frightened both teachers and students into silence. Following his dismissal, Nevins, with the aid of Attorney Sirotkin, pursued and successfully settled a civil rights lawsuit, upholding the rights of teachers to encourage—and to demonstrate—the free exchange of ideas. The approach to the lawsuit was novel, in that it effectively combined legal action in the courts with poetic expression in surrounding venues. Additionally, poets all over the nation held solidarity "poetry slams," in cities such as New York, New Orleans, and San Francisco, thereby starting a grassroots movement called "Poetic Justice." Sirotkin describes this tack as "a way to restore the voices that were being silenced. Restoring lost freedoms and human dignity would take more than angry marches, petitions, placards, or a distant trial." The movie represents: "a testament to our creative spirit and an affirmation of the power of creative minds and words," according to Sirotkin, and serves "as a path toward transformation and hope in troubling times." Recounting his decision to take the case and then to make the movie, Sirotkin reflected: [Poet] Erin Ambrose's "Don't just stand on the yellow line and speak your mind / don't you dare," became my call to action. . . . Adan Baca's powerful anthem to self-determination gave me hope and a new angle of vision for dealing with conflict: "My empowerment is not a threat to you / unless you let it be. / As you continue to fail to see / So stop judging me. / I don't have to hate you to be free." Says Sirotkin: "The words not only propelled me forward [to fight Nevins' case], but reflected the empowerment Bill Nevins brought to the classroom. It was why he posed such a threat." The film, containing the work of many talented poets and musicians, has been screened in dozens of film festivals around the world and has won several independent film awards, including the Telluride Talking Gourd Poetry Festival's Tellus Award as Poetry Film of the Year. It was also nominated for Best Picture at a festival in South Africa. Sirotkin's comments on screen and in the talk reflect his life's work—to connect creative expression with the promotion of peace, be it on a global or a local scale. He will also describe his work in South Africa as an election monitor and his experiences working with Archbishop Tutu and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. His current international human rights efforts are to bring peace between the U.S. and North Korea, and he has traveled extensively in both North and South Korea for this purpose. For more information, visit his site at www.ubuntuworks.com or contact him directly at eric@ubuntuworks.com. Additional information about the film can be found at www.committingpoetry.com or watch the trailer: www.youtube.com/user/ubuntuworks. |
