Views of Roosevelt College
Witness silent film footage of Roosevelt College in its early days as filmed by some of its first students!
Witness silent film footage of Roosevelt College in its early days as filmed by some of its first students!
Silent footage of the demo reel for the Jeff Spitz documentary about Roosevelt College, now Roosevelt University.
Why and how did an integrated college in a segregated city start in downtown Chicago just as World War II was ending? In 1984 an independent documentary filmmaker, Jeff Spitz, found old pictures and film footage about Roosevelt University including a magazine article that referred to the school as “The Roosevelt Experiment.”
Tapping the memories of former students who crossed the color line, particularly Blacks and Jews, the film blends archival images and interviews into an exploration of race, racial quotas and democratic ideals. Former students recall being questioned during an anti-communist investigation that targeted their school.
Chicago Mayor Harold Washington, a former student council president, shares poignant memories of getting into political
arguments in the cafeteria. He called it an “insane but interesting place.”
Shortly after the film’s release Spitz returned to City Hall to interview Mayor Washington about fairness, diversity and clashing visions of government. Mayor Washington’s additional commentary appears at the end of the video.
A collection of footage from various projects by Judy Hoffman, covering the 1975 HSA Doctor’s Strike, a 1991 Shedd Aquarium special exhibit tape on Kwakiutl salmon fishing, a 2003 war protest, and the 1998 An American Near Paris.
Excerpts from “Everybody In, Nobody Out,” a short film produced in 2003 by Health & Medicine Policy Research Group on the occasion of Quentin Young’s 80th birthday.
To learn more about Health & Medicine’s current work, visit: www.hmprg.org
Quentin Young, a notable Chicago physician and activist, visits various Chicago sites important to his personal history of political activism, providing the context for each site as he does so. Throughout the course of the video, Young visits Valois Restaurant in Hyde Park, the site of the 1937 Memorial Day massacre, Bughouse Square, 1515 S Hamlin, the John Alexander Logan Monument, Federal Plaza, Cook County Hospital, Michael Reese Medical Center, and Daley Plaza.
Footage from a 2003 Chicago protest against the war in Iraq. Hoffman approaches police officers and reporters at the scene for comment, with varying degrees of success.
Uncut tape of an interview with Ishai Sagi, a lieutenant in the Israeli army who was sentenced to twenty-six days in Israeli military prison for refusing to serve in Palestine. Sagi recounts his story, discussing the reasons for his refusal and his opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.