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What Changed?	Robben Island Singers
Return of Navajo Boy	Low Rider
Remembering Harold Washington	Chicago Football Classic

Robben Island Singers “Visit” Students Through Skype

Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz recently screened a rough cut of Robben Island Singers at Prosser Career Academy High School on Chicago’s West Side. Thirty-five students watched the film and then were able to ask questions to singers Muntu Nxumalo and Thembinkosi Sithole in South Africa via Skype.

Students said they liked going back and forth from South Africa to the US and having a live conversation with the ex-political prisoners. They liked the “real lives” theme of the film.

“Both sides liked the way that stereotypes in both countries are broken down by music, film, and international exchange,” Spitz said.

Students said they appreciated the chance to see a film work-in-progress.

“Kids did not want a shorter version, because they want to experience the whole journey of the singers,” Spitz added. “They understand the message about forgiveness and they discussed the fact that the Singers did not choose to become fighters, rather that conditions led them to fight for a higher cause. For freedom and equality.”

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New Partnership with Northwestern Chemistry Department

Northwestern University chemistry professor Franz Geiger and a small group of interns will collaborate with Groundswell and stakeholders on Navajo Nation to create a rich new website with information about the quality of water on Navajo Nation.

This new, interactive website will incorporate a large US EPA dataset with photos and video and will be useful to Navajo residents looking for information about their local water supplies.

The US EPA made extensive measurements of water sources in the late 1990s (many of which were contaminated by nearby Cold War-era uranium mining), but the wealth of data they produced has not been available in an easily-understandable web format for residents of Navajo Nation. This project will solve that problem and help fill a void of reliable information about water quality in Navajo communities.

In addition to the design and programming of the new website and all the data inputting that this entails, this project will also include collaboration and outreach with Navajos to ensure the usefulness of this groundbreaking new website. For participating Northwestern chemistry student interns, this project will serve as a prime example of chemistry making a tangible impact in people’s lives.

The website will be publicly accessible in September 2010.

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Navajo Boy Correspondent Tommy Rock: How I Was Inspired to Study Uranium Contamination

I became interested in science from seeing the abandoned uranium mines in Oljato, Utah. My cousin and I used to go into these abandoned uranium mines to explore. We would go to the end of the mines if we can, that was our main objective. Why we did that was because we were both curious. There was no sign or fence to warn the public about the dangers of the abandoned uranium mines. In addition, there was no one warning the public about the health risk associated with the abandoned uranium mines. This was way back in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

I decided to become involved with the clean-up and the research side of the exposure to abandoned uranium mines because my grandfather died of cancer. He was a former uranium mine worker. I will never forgot that morning when I received the message that my grandfather had three hours to live. I was going to school at Northern Arizona University and my grandfather was in Monticello, Utah. There was no chance that I could make it in three hours but I tried anyways. I cried a bit on my way back to Utah. I almost dropped out of school when my grandfather passed away. I remembered one of his teachings, which inspired me to keep moving forward. From all the experience that I had with research and outreach efforts, I know now that they are many people that experienced or experiencing the same situation that I went through.

So now, I am contributing to the clean-up effort being done on Navajo Nation by the tribe, other federal agencies, and universities, along with Dine’ College. They are still many more work that needs to be done when it comes to uranium contamination on the Navajo Nation.

Tommy Rock is a PhD candidate at the University of New Mexico’s American Studies program. His focus is on health policy related to uranium contamination.

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New Urban Farming Film Begins with Webisode and Worms

The Center for Resilient Cities and Growing Power Inc, two Wisconsin-based nonprofit organizations invited Groundswell to film the start of an urban farm research center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Will Allen, Growing Power Inc’s CEO who made the list of Time Magazine’s most influential people for 2010, is a leader in the urban farming and food justice movements. See how he gets people involved in building community.

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Ex-Robben Island Prisoners Recall Their Own World Cup Soccer League in Prison

If the spectacle of World Cup Soccer in South Africa inspires you, a new film by ESPN, titled Outside The Lines, will make your day. Outside the Lines is a remarkable short film that reveals a little known chapter in the history of South Africa.

Did you know that political prisoners at Robben Island Maximum Security Prison created their own league including hand-sewn uniforms, hand-made trophies and original cheers? Two of the Robben Island Singers, Munt and Grant, played in this league. Their team was called Jaws. The loudest cheerleaders on the sidelines were known as howlers. The film weaves interviews with gritty reenactments and gorgeous location cinematography. Watch it to see how political prisoners from Robben Island can inspire the world.

Visit our project website for more about our own documentary, Robben Island Singers.

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