LIBRARY HOSTS RACISM MOVIE AND DISCUSSION

The community is invited to attend another program in the "Coming Together Racine" series of movie screenings and discussions about racism and race relations at the Racine Public Library on Wednesday, December 3, 2008 at 5:30 p.m (NOTE: new time, due to change in library's hours). The library will be showing the film, Bread and Roses.

Directed by Ken Loach and starring Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody, and Elpidia Carrillo (who won an ALMA award for her performance), this film is about undocumented service workers. Maya arrives at the LA home of her older sister Rosa after crossing the border without papers. Rosa gets Maya a job as a janitor. A non-union janitorial service has the contract, a foul-mouthed supervisor can fire workers on a whim, and the service-workers' union has assigned organizer Sam Shapiro to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. The workers try for public support; management intimidates workers to divide and conquer. Rosa and Maya as well as workers and management may be set to collide.

A member of Coming Together Racine will facilitate a discussion of the movie after the screening. Participants are encouraged to bring a brown bag supper. The series is cosponsored by Coming Together Racine and the Racine Public Library and is funded by the library's Alma Boernke Endowment Fund.

Coming Together Racine is a 501(c)3 organization developed in response to community needs identified at a Town Hall Meeting on February 25, 2005. At the event it was determined that a greater effort is needed in the Racine community to eliminate the barriers preventing equal voice and access to community resources. In response to the results from the Town Hall Meeting a community-wide committee, The Committee to Eliminate Racism, was formed. In September 2005, after assessing the Racine community's needs, the Committee to Eliminate Racism submitted an application to become an affiliate of the Coming Together Project, and in February 2006 was approved as Coming Together Racine.

Coming Together Racine will work to:

• Promote racial harmony in the community;
• Educate community members on racism and its effects on people and the community; and
• Bring people together to foster awareness and appreciation of people of all cultures.
  

To achieve these goals the Committee will provide opportunities for members of the Racine community to dialogue, explore, learn, and strategize around racism. This movie is one of a series of events designed to engage Racine in discussion.