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Celebrating living legend Timuel Black on his 102nd Birthday
Black, Blog
This week, Chicago historian and activist Timuel Black celebrated his 102nd birthday. Among his long list of accomplishments, Black brought Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak at University of Chicago in 1956, he worked on a campaign to get Harold Washington elected as Chicago’s mayor, and he fought tirelessly to end segregation in Chicago’s public schools. As he told Chicago Magazine, the secret to a long life is “Play some good music, drink a little Merlot, get some sleep, and … Continue reading →
“Fast Eddie” heads to jail a second time
Blog
For decades, “Fast Eddie” Vrdolyak has been a controversial Chicago political powerhouse. Known for being a key figure in the Council Wars as one of the “three Eddies” who led a coalition of white aldermen intent on blocking Mayor Harold Washington’s initiatives, he already went to prison in 2008 for bribery. Now, Vrdolyak, 83, is once again heading to prison on charges of tax evasion stemming from fraudulent legal fees charged to the City of Chicago in the 1990s. In … Continue reading →
Streaming now: Joan Jett Blakk for President
Blog
At the heights of the AIDS epidemic, Joan Jett Blakk, the drag persona of performer and activist Terence Smith, ran a satirical campaign for mayor of Chicago and then later for President of the United States on the Queer Nation Party platform. Using hilarious banter and guerrilla tactics to bring queer issues to the national stage, Candidate Blakk made it all the way to the floor of the 1992 Democratic National Convention at Madison Square Garden. This 65-minute program, curated … Continue reading →
Celebrate election day with vintage political films
Blog
Just in time for election day, Media Burn, in partnership with Chicago Filmmakers and Chicago Film Archives, is pleased to present a screening and discussion with two astute chroniclers of presidential elections past. CHASING VOTES, CHASING SHADOWS is a collection of vintage political films by Bill Stamets and Peter Kuttner. Stamets shadows presidential candidates on the campaign trail through an ironic ethnographic lens examining the civic theater of “turning every human contact into a photo opportunity,” while Kuttner explores political … Continue reading →
An unfiltered look at the Chicago 7 trial
Blog
Aaron Sorkin’s new film, The Trial of the Chicago 7, has brought renewed attention to a landmark event in Chicago and national history. Opinions have varied as to the film’s stylistic merit, but if you plan to see it, you owe it to yourself to get a deeper and more accurate understanding of the facts and the context. Tales of Hoffman, a short 2001 documentary demo produced by Matthew Palm and Tom Weinberg with Joel Cohen, Bob Hercules and Jim … Continue reading →
1963 Chicago Public Schools Boycott Digital Exhibit Is Live Now!
Blog
We are thrilled to announce the availability of two exciting new free resources that explore a significant event in civil rights history, the 1963 Chicago Freedom Day. The resources are based on footage shot by Kartemquin Films for their film ‘63 Boycott, which connects the forgotten story of one of the largest northern civil rights demonstrations to contemporary issues around race, education, school closings, and youth activism. Now, audiences will be able to view dozens of hours previously unseen interviews … Continue reading →
Voice Your Choice
Blog
The right to exercise your vote isn’t something you just talk about—it’s something you do. The stakes are higher than ever this year, with overt threats to free and fair elections. “Vote and the choice is yours” is how Hollywood icons Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Janet Leigh, and Sidney Poitier said it in 1964. This early TV commercial comes from the Julian P. Kanter Political Commercial Archive at the University of Oklahoma. It was featured in The 90’s Election Special episode, … Continue reading →
9/24/20: Virtual Talks with Video Activists: Nancy Buchanan
Blog, Virtual Talks with Video Activists
Nancy Buchanan is a conceptual artist working in many forms, including videos, installations, drawings, and mixed media work. Continue reading →