Jimmy Carter Habitat [for Humanity]

This documents the June 17, 1990 Jimmy Carter Work Project of Habitat for Humanity held in San Diego. There are many shots of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter working on constructing the habitats.

0:00Copy video clip URL Open on a street with a sign for Habitat for Humanity on the side of the street. The videomaker, Judith Binder, tries to talk to the organizers to find what’s going on. Jimmy Carter appears on camera and he’s apparently going to help with the project. He shakes many hands. There is indistinct chatter after this as apparently everyone is getting everything together.

5:45Copy video clip URL A man introduces the event as the Jimmy Carter Work Project of 1990 in San Diego. A person presents an award to Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. On behalf of the mayor of San Diego, another man proclaims that week Habitat for Humanity week in San Diego. Representatives of the Habitat for Humanity begin talking to the crowd. The public speaking ends and people start chatting among themselves whilst everything is being put in place.

18:39Copy video clip URL People begin working and Rosalynn Carter speaks to the camera. The following shots are of people working on the project.

22:00Copy video clip URL Judith Binder talks with a woman who is receiving a house at the end of this project. She then talks with someone from the Family Selection Committee.

25:15Copy video clip URL Binder approaches a crowd of people who are talking to Jimmy Carter. These seem to be detractors from the community who have problems with the Habitat building for one reason or another.

32:35Copy video clip URL Shots of people erecting walls and building a home. Shots of the Carters working on a house and a brief shot of the woman whose house it is. In a brief interview with Carter he says, “I like the second days better when the cameras are gone.” During this interview Rosalynn is working next to her.

39:27Copy video clip URL Switch to wide shot of houses being erected with a slow pan around the site.

40:31Copy video clip URL Binder starts talking with an older man who is “here for the walk.” They chat for a bit.

42:21Copy video clip URL Binder films a representative of Habitat for Humanity talking about the situation and how a good portion of the community is very angry at Habitat and the people moving in.

48:56Copy video clip URL Binder films two women talking and then people putting up the walls of a house. She subsequently films another Habitat representative talking about the selection process and the ongoing support of the families.

56:35Copy video clip URL Switch to shot of a bulldozer on the site. She speaks with a woman selling Habitat t-shirts which say “When all is said and done we live in the same house.”

1:00:38Copy video clip URL Binder films some of the women receiving houses. She begins interviewing one of the woman.

1:05:21Copy video clip URL Binder films more erecting of walls. Binder takes quite a few wide shots and pans over the different houses. She films a forklift putting the rafters on a house.

1:11:46Copy video clip URL Binder briefly films a representative of Habitat talking to a TV crew and then a longtime volunteer. She then speaks with a representative of Habitat who tells about full-time volunteer opportunities.

1:16:10Copy video clip URL Jimmy Carter appears to be preparing to give a public statement to the associated press which he subsequently does. He talks about the good work of Habitat, “plant[ing] the seed,” and “it brings the people together.”

1:21:16Copy video clip URL Binder begins talking with one of the man receiving a habitat.

1:25:48Copy video clip URL Binder talks with some longtime visitors who got married after meeting in Habitat.

1:30:20Copy video clip URL Shots of a roof being finished and Carter putting up black paneling with staple guns. There seem to be time lapses in between some shots.

1:39:41Copy video clip URL Shots of women painting the trimming for a house. Soon after is a shot of Carter talking to the police for unknown reasons. Carter talks to more people and signs at least one autograph for a child before getting in a car and supposedly leaving for the day.

1:47:10Copy video clip URL Video ends.