We are in the beginning stages for our new Groundswell documentary film & public engagement campaign focusing on the rise of urban agriculture and the growing fresh food movement. We want to share our discoveries with you.

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Now you can help folks get fresh food just by sending this LINK to others. Did you know that several of the city’s farmer’s markets now accept food stamps (aka the LINK card)? It’s a first, a pilot program that deserves support. Pass it on.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

US Courts last month ruled in favor of Chevron’s request to view 600 hours of outtakes from the award-winning film Crude: The Real Price of Oil. The film chronicles the struggle of Ecuadorians against Chevron’s oil contamination of their land.

In this highly unusual case, Judge Lewis Kaplan, of the district court in Manhattan, awarded Chevron access to footage that could ultimately add to the company’s defense in a $27 billion case that spans more than seventeen years.

Judge Kaplan ruled that transparency and justice would be served by allowing the company access to the outtakes including interviews with environmental activists including Sting.

The decision brings into question the freedom of documentary filmmaking and journalist’s privilege. Filmmaker Michael Moore has said that the decision could have a “chilling effect.”

In a recent interview, Crude director Joseph Berlinger commented on the ruling. “It’s just a complete disregard for any belief in the first amendment. I am a journalist. I am covered by a journalist’s privilege,” said Berlinger. “We are shocked by the judge’s decision, at the broadness of the request.”

Berlinger plans to appeal the verdict, and is seeking donations to cover his legal fees.

A new documentary is shining a light on undocumented youth who were born outside the U.S. but raised in America– and the struggles they face.

“Papers the Movie” is the story of five undocumented high school students who risk deportation. 475 screenings of the film have taken place nationwide, according to the Papers The Movie website, which has a goal of reaching 1,000 screenings. One such screening was held on Capitol Hill as recently as May 18th.

According to the filmmakers, approximately 2 million undocumented children live in the United States. “65,000 undocumented students graduate every year from high school without ‘papers’ and find the door to the future slammed shut,” the producers say, noting that it is illegal for them to work or drive. “For most there is no path to citizenship.”

The producers of the film hope that Congress will approve the DREAM Act, which could provide that path to citizenship if youth attend an American college or join the military.

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.

After a decade of investigations, the EPA has finally put up a fence to warn people about the hazardous waste in Elsie Mae Begay’s backyard. The area around the abandoned Skyline uranium mine is one of only a few sites on Navajo Nation which has received this attention, despite there being as many as 1,000 former mines on the reservation.

This latest development occurred almost ten years after EPA consultant Andrew Sowder acknowledged to Groundswell in an interview that putting up fencing “is the least they could do” after demolishing Elsie’s uranium-contaminated house.

Last week EPA contractor Brian Milton told Mary Helen Begay, Elsie’s daughter in law, that the steps officials were taking were only temporary, but intended to protect the area until a more comprehensive cleanup could be done. Groundswell trained and equipped Mary Helen to use the flip video camera that the above video was shot with.

Contractors sprayed a special coating on radioactive cables, debris and waste piles to prevent contaminated topsoil from being blown away in the wind, as it has since 1944 when the mine was abandoned. “It basically takes the top inch or so of the soil and puts a crust on it, kind of like a pie crust,” Milton told Begay. He said it normally only lasts a year or so before it becomes ineffective. “It’s just really a temporary measure to fix the top of the soil and prevent erosion and stuff.”

Still a question is where the EPA will relocate the waste to permanently. The cheaper alternative which has been suggested by some officials would be to store it in a repository on-site. Many Navajos however are staunchly opposed to on-site storage due to the health impacts and environmental legacy that uranium mining has caused over the last six decades.

Elsie and Groundswell went to Washington DC in fall 2008 to screen “The Return of Navajo Boy” on Capitol Hill. Ironically, the EPA’s five-year cleanup plan does not include the radioactive waste in her backyard. As a result of Elsie’s determination, and Groundswell’s engagement with policy makers, Elsie and her backyard are now included in the 5 year plan to clean up cold war uranium contamination in Navajo Lands. But questions remain: where will EPA put the radioactive waste?

The Indian Health Service recently launched its “Community Uranium Exposure: Journey to Healing” program with free health screenings and a showing of “The Return of Navajo Boy” in Cove, Arizona. The program, which includes screening Groundswell’s documentary “The Return of Navajo Boy” is based out of an 18-wheel truck known as the Wellness on Wheels van.

The first stop was the Navajo Chapter House in Cove on April 29th, featuring an appearance by Elsie Mae Begay, who has acted as a uranium contamination awareness ambassador after her appearance in the documentary. Elsie, accompanied by her son Lorenzo and daughter in law Mary Helen, took advantage of the opportunity and accepted a health screening herself.

Groundswell’s film, shown at the event, “has proven its ability to give Navajos a voice in the larger society” according to Lisa Allee, the director of the Community Uranium Exposure: Journey to Healing program. Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz was also able to attend the screening and answer questions, thanks to generous support for community outreach provided by the Ira Ziering Foundation.

Ira Ziering (left) and Groundswell’s Executive Director Jeff Spitz (right) at the recent Cove, AZ health screening event.

Presentations were also made about the health impacts of uranium the abandoned uranium mines in the area, and the effects they have on local water sources. The Indian Health Service looks forward to using the film at future events as a way to show the dangers of uranium contamination and the importance of health screenings.

The event made the front page of the Gallup Independent on May 1st:

Groundswell recently received good news from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs: we were awarded a Program I grant for 2010!

The grant “encourages the attainment of artistic excellence and financial stability through general operating support for arts organizations,” according to the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Applicants were judged based on artistic and social merit, organizational development, fiscal accountability and application quality. Organizations awarded grants are eligible to receive future grants for two consecutive years before the application process opens up again.

As the world witnesses what is quickly becoming the worst oil spill in US history, Groundswell co-founders Jeff and Jennifer Spitz led discussions surrounding The Return of Navajo Boy and the impact that unchecked corporate activity can have on the environment of local communities.

Following a screening of the film, Jeff and Jennifer brought the audience up to date on recent actions towards cleanup that the EPA has made in Monument Valley, including the installation of a fence to ward people away from hazardous waste.

“The audience members were particularly interested in the story from the point of view of how it bodes for the current environmental crisis in the Gulf Coast region with the giant and ongoing oil spill there,” said Spitz.

“They seemed to draw connections between environmental contamination like these and the need for responsible parties to clean them up. Hopefully the current oil spill will be easier in terms of responsibility, since British Petroleum (BP) has said they’ll pay all cleanup costs. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the uranium contamination on Navajo Nation.”

From the tilled soil of an urban farm to the polished marble of City Hall, this engaging documentary follows the plight of local farmers in East Los Angeles as they speak out in defense of their land.

Many issues are raised as the film questions why the land was sold to a wealthy developer for millions less than fair-market value and why the transaction took place in a closed-door session of the LA City Council without the public’s knowledge.

All the powers-that-be have the same response: “The garden is wonderful, but there is nothing more we can do.” For more information about this 2009 Academy Award-nominated documentary, or to watch a trailer for the film, visit www.thegardenmovie.com

Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz presented a rough cut screening of our upcoming documentary “Robben Island Singers” at the Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival on April 24th. It was the first time a rough cut has been publicly screened and was met with a very positive reaction from the audience.

The rough cut, now 97 minutes long, spurred a lively conversation afterward as Spitz sat on a panel to discuss it. “I took 3 pages of notes,” Spitz said. “This is the kind of conversation I hoped for, it was very helpful.”

Afterward, the audience was eager to discuss the over-arching themes presented in the film: apartheid, violence, forgiveness and self-actualization in two very different worlds: South Africa and America. The film tracks the journeys of three South African ex-political prisoners once imprisoned with Nelson Mandela after fighting Apartheid.

The singers have brought their message and the music that sustained them while in prison to American schools in a revolutionary cultural exchange program. More information can be found at the project’s website, www.RobbenIslandSingers.com, which also offers their music for purchase or download.

The Indian Health Service will on Thursday April 29th present a special screening of “The Return of Navajo Boy” at the Cove Chapter House in Cove, Arizona. The film will be screened at the uranium exposure awareness-building event which starts at 10AM. The film screens at 1:30.

IHS’ Lisa Allee helped organize the event, and both documentary filmmaker Jeff Spitz and documentary participant Elsie Mae Begay will be present to take questions. Health screenings and presentations about water quality and contaminated buildings will also take place. Recently the film also screened at the Rough Rock Trading Post.

Groundswell’s partnership with the IHS also extends to agency playing the film in waiting rooms at the Northern Navajo Medical Center in Shiprock, Arizona. The Indian Health Service’s flyer is re-printed below along with a letter inviting Groundswell to the event from Lisa Allee.

Update: Read a report form the first Community Uranium Exposure: Journey to Healing event.

The Navajo Chapter House in Oljato New Mexico voted 28 to 0 to direct the US Environmental Protection Agency to clean up hazardous waste at the Skyline mine on Sunday, April 11th.

The abandoned mine, once home to more than 100,000 pounds of uranium ore, sits on Navajo land and has long been known as a danger to local residents. Tests have shown that the level of radiation exposure surrounding the area is ten times the limit considered safe by the EPA.

In 2001, the EPA demolished the nearby home of Elsie Mae Begay, which had been partially constructed of uranium rocks which were left free for the taking after the mine closed in 1944. Begay’s son died of brain cancer at the age of 24.

Officials visited the area recently to discuss plans for cleanup of the area. Some local Navajo residents have long urged the EPA to at the very least build a fence that would restrict access to the mine tailings and debris from children and livestock.

Nine years ago, Groundswell Educational Films interviewed EPA uranium expert Andrew Sowder to ask what the next steps would be after Begay’s old home was removed. “The next, and the most important issue for a situation like this would actually be restricting access to some of the soil and ore that’s been left behind.”

“If it can’t be cleaned up at least right away, probably the least that should be done is some fencing placed as well as some kind of signs indicating the hazards present. So that’s really the very least, and probably isn’t that costly to do and it’s certainly the responsible thing to do.” (Watch his interview below.) The fencing and signs were never placed however.

But the recent vote by the tribal council could change that, assuming the authorities stick to their word.

The US Department of Justice recently posted an internship description on their website asking for students to help identify residents of Navajo Nation who have been impacted by the presence of abandoned uranium mines.

The effort is part of a comprehensive five year plan that the US federal government embarked upon at the urging of Congressman Henry Waxman, Chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in 2006. The plan calls for Navajo lands to be cleaned up and for Navajos whose health has been impacted by the old cold-war era uranium mines to be fairly compensated.

According to the new internship description, the Justice Department is “looking for creative and dynamic college students to serve as [Radiation Exposure Compensation Act] Program Outreach Interns. The RECA Program will cover travel costs, room and board, and pay a small stipend to cover Outreach Interns’ incidental expenses.”

The task is particularly difficult because victims must provide onerous documentation of their eligibility and fill out a more than 20 page form. Navajo residents often don’t have the medical records that officials require, which makes proving health impacts even harder.

The Department of Justice says that the responsibilities of the new interns will include spreading awareness about the compensation program, helping applicants find or obtain paperwork, and helping arrange medical testing for those affected by atomic programs. Training for the student interns will occur in June, July, and early August, and their employment is expected to be 20 hours a week for at least six months. Those interested should apply on the Department of Justice’s website.

The RECA act originally passed Congress in 1990, but has seen a renewed interest due to Congressman Waxman’s hearings four years ago. It permits up to $100,000 in compensation to those affected by uranium mining and atomic bomb testing during the cold war.

The Northern Navajo Medical Center has begun showing “The Return of Navajo Boy” in its waiting rooms, which serve residents in the Shiprock, New Mexico area.

Groundswell Educational Films recently forged a partnership with the Center, which is the largest hospital on the reservation, that is now resulting in regular screenings of the film in the hospital, intended to increase awareness of the health impacts of uranium contamination in the area.

“Your film has proven it ability to give Navajos a voice in the larger society,” Lisa Allee the Program Director of the Journey to Healing uranium program at the Medical Center said in a letter to Groundswell. “We recognize your organization’s continued success in amplifying those voices in schools, colleges and mainstream media.”

Navajo Nation is home to more than 1,000 cold-war era abandoned uranium mines and many of these sites still contain hazardous materials which threaten the lives of nearby Navajo residents. “The Return of Navajo Boy” features one Navajo family who has suffered from the legacy of the mining. Elsie Mae Begay, a Navajo grandmother in the film, lived in a hogan (traditional Navajo house) partially constructed of uranium debris for example. Her son died at age 24 due to brain cancer.

“This is an unprecedented step for the Indian Health Service,” Navajo Boy director Jeff Spitz said in reaction. “It stems from Henry Waxman who opened up the Sunday LA Times in November, 2006 and read about Elsie Mae Begay’s uranium house and a litany of uranium mining legacies plaguing Navajo families. A real groundswell of concern evolved out of Elsie’s cry for help.”

Officials believe that the film is a potent tool to spread awareness about the old mines and the dangers they pose. At the end of April, the Indian Health Service kick off a mobile health initiative designed to reach remote Navajo communities which do not live near traditional hospitals.

The Northern Navajo Medical Center is located at the “four corners”– an area where New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado meet. According to officials, the Center teats about 40 residents per day at its in-patient facilities, and about 400 out-patient.

Update: The Indian Health Service is now using “The Return of Navajo Boy” as part of a “Wellness on Wheels” initiative all around Navajo Nation to raise awareness. Read about the first Community Uranium Exposure: Journey to Healing screening.

“The Return of Navajo Boy” will screen at the Environmental Law & Policy Center on May 3rd, in Chicago, Illinois.

Director Jeff Spitz will be on hand to discuss the film and take questions about the environmental and health threats posed by uranium waste on indigenous lands.

The screening will occur from 11:45AM to 1:45PM on Monday, May 3rd, 2010. Lunch will be provided. Admission is free, RSVP by April 29th to Anne Fell (AFell@elpc.org). The ELPC is located at 35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 1300, Chicago IL, 60601.

Update: A recap of the screening and discussion is now available.

Groundswell’s award-winning documentary The Return of Navajo Boy will screen at Amnesty International’s Human Rights Film Festival on Saturday, April 24th 2010 in Silver Spring Maryland.

Filmmaker Jeff Spitz, Groundswell’s co-founder, will also be on hand to also present a work in progress screening of his upcoming project, Robben Island Singers.

For more information, see the festival’s official website.

Update: Read a report from the Amnesty International Human Rights Festival.

Groundswell is pleased to announce that The Return of Navajo Boy is now available to the general public for home DVD purchase at NavajoBoy.com and direct streaming rentals at Amazon.com.

For the first time, customers can now order a DVD of this award-winning documentary for personal use, or stream the film online through the world’s largest web retailer. Says director Jeff Spitz, “From a dusty 1950s film reel to a new documentary film and from a Sundance Film Festival premier to screenings on Capitol Hill, this story keeps opening eyes. Lots more eyes will see it now.”

Visit Amazon.com or NavajoBoy.com to order or download the film. The trailer for the film is embedded below.

The Rough Rock Chapter House in Arizona recently invited Groundswell and Perry Charley to screen and discuss the film with residents.

The screening took place in the old trading post and the film was projected onto a bedsheet. Perry H. Charley, Navajo Nuclear scientist and uranium education expert appears in the new epilogue for the film. He frequently shows it to students at the tribal college, Dine College.

Above: Perry H. Charley, Director, Dine College Environmental Institute leads Q&A after The Return of Navajo Boy at Rough Rock Trading Post.

Perry uses the film to introduce audiences to the Navajo perspective on colonization, manifest destiny, and media. He leads discussions about the Navajo conceptions of healing, family history, native knowledge, research, teamwork and environmental science. Perry is a master teacher whose previous work experience includes heading the Navajo office responsible for the abandoned mines and uranium mills. Every agency that is responsible for the legacies of Uranium mining consults with Mr. Perry H. Charley. We are proud to work with Perry and his remarkable students at Dine College.

Above: Groundswell co-founder, Jeff Spitz, with the media team staff at Northern Navajo Medical Center, Shiprock, NM.

Above: Watch a slideshow of photos taken by Groundswell intern Mitch Wenkus on the recent trip to Navajo Nation.

Groundswell is pleased to join forces with South African Partners (SA Partners), a Boston-based organization dedicated to the development of long-term partnership opportunities between the United States and South Africa.

Program areas at SA Partners bring together people here and in South Africa to support the work of redressing apartheid’s legacy and building the new South Africa. The central focus of activities is to establish mutually beneficial, long-term partnerships between South Africa and the United States. After six years, SA Partners has begun to formulate a better understanding of two-way partnerships as an important development tool.

SA Partners will be supporting Groundswell and The Robben Island Singers project in upcoming events and will also promote the trio’s CDs for sale on-site at events and online.

About South Africa Partners

South Africa Partners, Inc. (SA Partners) is a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of long-term partnership opportunities between the United States and South Africa. Building on the efforts of tens of thousands of individuals across the United States who supported the international movement for democracy in South Africa, SA Partners seeks to support those efforts which promote South Africa’s equitable and sustainable development, while building bridges between the two countries.

For the past eight years, the Paris International Film Festival on Human Rights (FIFDH) has focused on raising awareness and film education for schools and students regarding the complexities of human rights breaches involving economic, social, cultural, civil, and political rights.

This year’s Prix Spécial du Jury was awarded to Buenos Días, Seguimos en Guerra (Hello, Our War Continues) by Anita Blumer (watch a trailer here). The film focuses on Guatemala and the war-like conditions that prevail in the wake of a civil war as the state remains undercut by organized crime. Guatemala has one of the highest murder rates on the American continent and violence claims more than ten lives a day. The film documents urban crime and the people who struggle against it.

The Human Rights Films Network (HRFN)

Since 2004, this film festival network has aimed to promote the protection of human rights on a global level. The network now brings together more than twenty festivals in the world, some of which are backed by major international human rights protection organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

The network strives for better distribution of human rights films and intends to endorse the emergence of new film festivals on human rights, especially in developing countries. Every year, the HRFN attracts a combined audience of more than 200,000 viewers worldwide.

More information can be found at their website, www.festival-droitsdelhomme.org.

Director and Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz will be in the Washington DC area on April 24th to present and discuss both The Return of Navajo Boy and a preview screening of Robben Island Singers.

The first ever Amnesty International Human Rights Art Festival will be held in Silver Spring, MD (just outside of Washington D.C.) from April 23-25, 2010. This multi-venue, multi-media event will bring together artists, local businesses and politicians to use socially transformative art to raise awareness of human rights and justice issues, as well as the important work of Amnesty International.

Says Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz, “The wide range of artists, art forms and creative human rights campaigns is inspiring. I will be on a panel with fellow filmmakers Sunday, April 25th 2:30 – 4:30 to be followed by work in progress screening for Robben Island Singers.”

More information can be found at HumanRightsArtFestival.com.

Update: Read a report from the Amnesty International Human Rights Arts Festival.

Can music change the world? Judging by the reach and impact of the Playing for Change movement, the answer to the question is a resounding “yes!”

Many of you may remember the viral Stand by Me video that made the rounds a few years ago. With tens of millions of views on Youtube alone, this “little experiment” has become an international sensation creating a veritable global Groundswell. The song transformed Playing For Change from a small group of individuals to a global movement for peace and understanding.

More on Playing for Change

Playing for Change is a multimedia movement created to inspire, connect, and bring peace to the world through music. The idea for this project arose from a common belief that music has the power to break down boundaries and overcome distances between people. No matter whether people come from different geographic, political, economic, spiritual or ideological backgrounds, music has the universal power to transcend and unite us as one human race.

Now, musicians from all over the world are brought together to perform benefit concerts that build music and art schools in communities that are in need of inspiration and hope. In addition to benefit concerts, the Playing for Change band also performs shows around the world. When audiences see and hear musicians who have traveled thousands of miles from their homes, united in purpose and chorus on one stage, everyone is touched by music’s unifying power.

For further information, visit the Playing For Change website.

After watching Navajo Boy Webisodes, Paul Robinson of the Southwest Uranium Research and Information Center relates Elsie’s story to the rest of Navajo Nation. Paul is from the Southwest Research and Information Center and focuses on Uranium mining contamination in the Church Rock and Window Rock area among other issues.

Watch more Return of Navajo Boy webisodes.

Since 1997, the non-profit Chicago Football Classic has been promoting scholarships for African American students looking to attend college. Many historical black colleges and universities (HBCUs) attend the annual event and showcase their educational programs.

A battle of high school marching bands and a football game draw crowds to Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois each fall. Over 5,000 Chicagoans attend the event each year for the musical performances and other attractions.

Groundswell created this short promotional video report for them in 2009.

For more information and tickets, visit the Chicago Football Classic website.

Groundswell is excited to announce that the music of The Robben Island Singers is now available for purchase or download at Amazon.com and iTunes.

Groundswell created two complete albums from the Robben Island Singers documentary film journey – Songs from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle and Stories from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle. The Songs version includes the Singers’ songs from of their struggle against Apartheid while imprisoned with Nelson Mandela on South Africa’s most notorious apartheid prison island. The Stories version also includes their stories from the struggle.

Listeners from around the world can now share an experience that Chicagoans still talk about – the world debut of three ex-political prisoners who never imagined they would live to tell their personal stories, or sing the folk songs that fed their spirits in prison. Ironically, their journey continues as inner city high schools and colleges sponsor cultural exchanges between students and Robben Island Singers.

To purchase or preview the albums, click one of the following links:

Songs from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle (Amazon.com) (iTunes)
Stories from South Africa’s Freedom Struggle (Amazon.com) (iTunes)

Physical versions of the albums can also be bought at the Chicago theater company Remy Bumppo’s production of The Island, which runs until March 7th.

The Robben Island Singers movie trailer has been selected to kick off the Jubilee Film Festival in Selma, Alabama on March 6th.

The Festival Co-Directors, Erica Henry, (representing the Voting Rights Museum in Selma) will screen the trailer to introduce the theme of this year’s festival: struggle in the American South and South Africa.

Winnie Mandela will be the keynote speaker in this festival which culminates with a celebratory crossing of the Edmund Pettis Bridge, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the famous civil rights march.

Visit selmajubilee.com for more information about the festival, and robbenislandsingers.com for more information about Groundswell’s film and concert project featuring Robben Island Singers.

Groundswell intern Mitch Wenkus (Columbia College Chicago, ’10) is this year’s recipient of the Studs Terkel Scholarship Award presented by The Community Media Workshop and Columbia College Chicago. The award has been given annually in honor of the late Pulitzer-Prize winning oral historian.

The winner of the $2,000 prize, selected by a board of judges from the Community Media Workshop, is given to a student with the best grassroots class project. Mitch’s short documentary film won because it best illustrates Studs Terkel’s perspective of our city—one that recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary accomplishments or visions of ordinary people. Thom Clark, Executive Director of Community Media Workshop commended Mitch and said that it was a very competitive selection because there were so many high quality nominations across all media, print, audio and video.

As a Groundswell intern, Mitch has been assisting with the production of our “What Changed” webisode series which raises questions about President Obama’s anti-war stance.

Groundswell co-founder Jeff Spitz writes:

Mitch is the kind of student that Studs Terkel would adore. He’s a real listener, a creative artist and a community builder. Mitch is a documentary artist who has learned how to give voice to others. In the case of his short doc film, Joey and Jamal: A Chicago Public School Story, the voices come from a modest African American family that is speaking truth to power. Mitch focuses on two brothers and their mom as they figure out the ways that they learn best and keep out of harms way in a school system saturated with violence. The film raises profound questions about the hopes, dreams and tactics of Chicago school kids and their parents.

Read more about the film and Mitch’s award at the Community Media Workshop.

Lorenzo Begay (the narrator of “The Return of Navajo Boy“) and his wife, Mary, have a gift shop in Monument Valley. In this video, Mary can be seen selling DVDs to tourists.

For the first time, Groundswell is collaborating with a theater company, Remy Bumppo, to cross-promote The Robben Island Singers and the Chicago Theater Company’s new production of the famous South African play, The Island by Athol Fugard. The play runs through March 7th, 2010.

Groundswell now has created a special exhibit in the theater’s lobby featuring The Robben Island Singers recorded music, video, newspaper articles and large photographs featuring the Robben Island Singers in Chicago’s schools. This new portable exhibition of the Robben Island Singers is now available for museums, conferences, consulate offices and other installations.

The Robben Island Singers music is also available for purchase in the theater lobby.

In true Groundswell fashion, Haitian-born professor Cécile Accilienn is leading a lecture-film series entitled, “Haiti in our Backyard” at Columbus State University in Georgia.

The series, which started January 26th, creates a forum for students and activists interested in contributing to the relief efforts following the recent earthquake in Haiti. Likewise, Accilienn aims to go beyond the present crisis and break down commonplace Haitian stereotypes.

Accilien said rebuilding Haiti will take decades. “It’s important to not forget Haiti after the media leave.”In addition to educating local residents, the “Haiti in our Backyard” series will cover the many opportunities to join with others around the world to contribute to the rebuilding process in whatever capacity in they can, Accilien said. For more information, see this report.

A simple film project from USC has evolved into a powerful force for improving the lives of children in Northern Uganda.

In 2003, three young filmmakers went to Africa in search of a story. They found a horrible situation that disgusted and inspired them. Their response, a modest documentary called Invisible Children: Rough Cut triggered a movement that has mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to raise awareness and protect innocent children who are at risk of being abducted every night by militias – militias that threaten to murder them unless they agree to become child soldiers.

The filmmakers focused on creating change through the power of story, film, and peer to peer organizing but they didn’t stop there. Additional programs now include teacher exchanges, education programs, scholarships (690 for secondary students and 180 full ride scholarships to university), and other development initiatives all aimed at making a difference in the lives of children surrounded by Africa’s longest-running war.

A screening/discussion event is scheduled for April 14th in Chicago at Loyola’s Water Tower campus. For more information, visit Invisible Children’s official website.

Leave your responses to the video below.

At noon on October 2nd, 2002 I was busy teaching a course called Documentary and Social Change at Columbia College Chicago. My wife, Jennifer Amdur Spitz and many of our friends were involved at that same hour in an old fashioned anti-war rally in Federal Plaza in the heart of downtown Chicago. It would be the first gathering to protest the Bush Administration’s move toward a pre-emptive war against Iraq.

I asked my students if they wanted to leave our classroom and walk to a real anti-war rally. Try to remember how you felt in your gut when President Bush rallied Americans to move fast into a pre-emptive war to prevent America from being attacked with “nuclear,” “biological” and “chemical” weapons – weapons that could be provided to our enemies by Iraq? At the demonstration one of my students, Nahlyee Van Brunt, filmed some of the action with his video camera. Well, documentary and social change do go together whether we realize it or not. Please post your comments about what you think changed. This is a new kind of film experience – a webumentary.

The Return of Navajo Boy has unlocked an investigative LA Times series about the affects of uranium mining on Navajos.

Fifty years ago, cancer rates on the reservation were so low that a medical journal published an article titled “Cancer immunity in the Navajo.”

Back then, the contamination of the tribal homeland was just beginning. Mining companies were digging into one of the world’s richest uranium deposits, in a reservation spanning parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were chiseled and blasted from the mountains and plains. The mines provided uranium for the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to develop an atomic bomb, and for the weapons stockpile built up during the arms race with the Soviet Union.
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Today, there is no talk of cancer immunity in the Navajos.

The cancer death rate on the reservation — historically much lower than that of the general U.S. population — doubled from the early 1970s to the late 1990s, according to Indian Health Service data. The overall U.S. cancer death rate declined slightly over the same period.

Read more here.

The New York Times has published an article about Navajos living on uranium contaminated lands, and the growing awareness about this problem:

Many miners died from radiation-related illnesses; some, unaware of harmful health effects, hauled contaminated rocks and tailings from local mines and mills to build homes for their families.

Now, those homes are being demolished and rebuilt under a new government program that seeks to identify what are very likely dozens of uranium-contaminated structures still standing on Navajo land and to temporarily relocate people living in them until the homes can be torn down and rebuilt.

Stephen B. Etsitty, executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency, and other tribal officials have been grappling for years with the environmental fallout from uranium mining.

“There were a lot of things people weren’t told about the plight of Navajos and uranium mining,” Mr. Etsitty said. “These legacy issues are impacting generations. At some point people are saying, ‘It’s got to end.’ ”

Check out the full article here.

The Robben Island Singers school program was recently featured on ABC 7 News in Chicago. They reported on how the Singers, in conjunction with Groundswell Educational Films, are visiting Chicago Public Schools to teach important life lessons about conflict resolution through art and forgiveness.

If you look closely, you can see our documentary film crew in the background of this news segment.

Indigenous uranium activists from all over the United States will gather from October 22nd through the 24th at The Southwest Indigenous Uranium Forum in Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico.

Activists plan to use Groundswell Educational Films’ documentary, “The Return of Navajo Boy” with its new 15 minute epilogue as a tool to advance the campaign for toxic waste cleanup (DVD available for sale, individual discount available). Elsie Mae Begay, the Navajo grandmother who tells her family’s story in The Return of Navajo Boy, will present the film and participate in audience discussion. The screening is scheduled for Friday, October 23rd starting at 7PM.

Among the other attendees will be about a dozen Navajo grandmothers who recently demonstrated on the steps of Capitol Hill calling for compensation for the families of uranium-mining victims.

The forum, organized by Anna Rondon, is the 7th annual event bringing together Native American uranium activists working towards environmental justice. Conference organizers can be reached by calling (505) 726-9392 or by visiting www.siuf.net.

Groundswell Co-Founders and The Robben Island Singers have incorporated a new company in South Africa called Groundswell Cultural Activists CC.

The new company will book Robben Island Singers concerts, film screenings and education programs in South Africa and manage school exchanges between South African and American youth. Our initial focus is to promote the Robben Island Singers as part of the cultural and heritage programming during World Cup soccer tournament in South Africa 2010.

Members include Muntu Nxumalo, Grant Shezi, Thembinkosi Sithole, Jeff Spitz and Jennifer Amdur Spitz.

Navajo uranium activist Gillbert Badoni, Navajo Nation Council Member Phil Harrison and a delegation of Navajo grandmothers demonstrated at the Capitol today to demand compensation for families poisoned by cold-war uranium mining on Navajo Nation.

“We screened our film, The Return of Navajo Boy for legislators, government staff and the public,” said Navajo grandmother Elsie May Cly Begay, “so they can understand the deep impact of uranium poisoning in our community.” For more on this action, visit the UMCGBCS website.

Chicago-area teachers and administrators love the Robben Island Singers school program.

Phillips High School principal Euel Bunton had this to say after Robben Island Singer Grant Shezi visited his school:

“You promised that this would be a memorable experience, and it truly was. Grant Shezi’s personal testimony was compelling and credible to our students. He struck a cord with students when he identified self control as the character trait that enabled him to overcome the desire for revenge and violence. Many, many more of our youth desperately need to hear this man and his message. I wholeheartedly endorse efforts to bring Robben Island Singers to the Chicago Public Schools on an expanded basis.”

CPS Director of Policy and Program Development Diane Fager says:

“Looking at the lessons learned in South Africa, the Robben Island Singers offer students a third dimension to reflect, and a new light to examine their own experience. Students are invited to express their revelations through the arts, and the Robben Island Singers help students learn to facilitate a new dialog in their own communities. Sure their curriculum lines up with state learning standards in many subject areas, but the Robben Island Singers are much more than that. They teach students to think critically about what they have learned; to communicate their ideas to one another across cultures using visual, performing or media arts; and that they have the power to organize and mobilize their communities towards a better future.”

Check out what students have to say about The Robben Island Singers school program.

Charles, from Kenwood Academy High School enjoyed The Robben Island Singers visit to his school:

“I’m not from a prestigious neighborhood. I’m from what you would maybe call a bad neighborhood. So these singers were a real inspiration. Their songs signify hope.”

Jasmine from Michelle Clark High School has this to say about The Robben Island Singers when they visited her school:

“This whole experience, I am just overwhelmed by it. I love the entire notion of history and heritage and getting to know it and actually playing a part in it. I believe we are kind of making history right now.”

Here are some questions that students have asked The Robben Island Singers when they do Q&A sessions in classrooms:

• Is there ever a time you regret standing up for your beliefs because of the consequences that followed?

• How old were you when you went to prison?

• You all have become an inspiration to many young people today. Who inspires/inspired you to fight against injustice?

• At what point in your struggle did you feel that your anger and pain should have been replaced by action and a revolution through song?

• Do you feel that it frees you to forgive someone who has wronged you?

• Did you find it difficult to re-adjust to freedom when you got out?

• Did a lot of ex-prisoners have trouble getting jobs after they were freed because they had to leave High School?

• How much racism is still left in South America even after apartheid?

• Do you think that your message is ignored by people who don’t acknowledge the past?

• Will you guys be back next year?

Check out what teachers have to say about The Robben Island Singers school program.

In September 2008, Groundswell brought Elsie Mae Begay and the The Return of Navajo Boy (with its new epilogue) to Capitol Hill for a screening and discussion about hazardous waste cleanup with EPA officials and congressional staffers.

Watch more Return of Navajo Boy webisodes.

Groundswell Educational Films issued the following press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 24, 2008

Documentary about Navajo Family Exposes the Human Cost of Nuclear Waste Contamination, Triggers Investigation and Warnings about Nuclear Dangers

WASHINGTON D.C. — While the nation is abuzz with talk of energy independence and nuclear reactors, the legacy of cold war uranium mining remains an open wound that literally continues to poison residents of the Navajo Nation.

A Navajo grandmother, who is a main character in the documentary The Return of Navajo Boy, came to Capitol Hill today, to share her story with congressional leaders in a screening hosted by Tom Udall (D-NM), Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Jim Matheson (D-UT) and Navajo Nation’s Washington Office. “I was an extra in Hollywood western movies and a nameless Navajo Girl in postcards. There are thousands of pictures of my family and me. But we never got a chance to say anything. Until now,” said Navajo grandmother, Elsie Mae Begay. “I want people to know how uranium has affected us. That’s why I travel with the film.”

The film will be screened with a new epilogue that documents Ms. Begay’s courageous journey with the film. The screening and discussion will be held Sept. 24, 3-5 PM, Cannon House Office Building, Room 122. The event is free and open to the public. A second free public screening is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25, 6-8 PM at Georgetown Law, Gewirz Student Center, 12th floor, 120 F Street, NW (between 1st and 2nd Streets). Several lawmakers and high-ranking officials from the EPA, Department of Energy and other government offices are expected to attend the screening.

The Return of Navajo Boy was produced and directed by Jeff Spitz of Groundswell Educational Films. Groundswell’s outreach campaign triggered a federal investigation of uranium houses. Ms. Begay’s story, picked up by Los Angeles Times, motivated Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) to bring the issue to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform which mandated a clean-up plan by the five federal agencies that are responsible for uranium contamination. “This has been a bi-partisan failure for 40 years,” said Congressman Waxman at the opening of the hearings.

Ironically, the Comprehensive Five-Year Plan, issued jointly last month by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, does not include Ms. Begay’s homestead.

“Ms. Begay tells her story through this film, which creates a pathway for people outside her culture to connect with her,” explained Groundswell co-founder, Jeff Spitz. “We book the film and Ms. Begay in public screenings to open doors for face-to-face contact with reporters, academics, funders, policymakers and others who can help make a difference in addressing radiation clean up on Navajo lands.”

“We need people in Washington to realize the enormity of the problem,” said Dave Taylor, an attorney for the Navajo Department of Justice. “We are grateful for the attention Congressman Waxman has brought to this issue, however follow up on the ground has been minimal. We need a permanent solution, not band-aids. The waste needs to be dug up and put into safe repositories.”

“Groundswell’s approach to advocacy shows how one story can ripple into another and keep moving on to cause change,” said Judy Pasternak, the LA Times reporter who wrote the four-part series about uranium poisoning on the reservation. Ms. Pasternak met Elsie Begay at a Groundswell screening. Ms. Begay’s story of raising her family in a house made from uranium became the framework for the opening piece of Pasternak’s investigative series about uranium.

The Return of Navajo Boy is one example of Groundswell Educational Film’s non- profit mission. Groundswell gives voice to those often overlooked by mainstream media; uses film to initiate cross-cultural dialogue; creates public engagement campaigns; and build alliances with stakeholders to achieve social change. “ We will continue to film this journey until Ms. Begay’s uranium situation is resolved,” Spitz added. To learn more about Groundswell’s work on this and other projects, visit www.groundswellfilms.org.

For more than four decades, Navajo Nation soils were dug and blasted to produce millions of tons of uranium for America’s nuclear arsenal. Residents today still breathe radioactive dust, drink contaminated water and live in homes contaminated by radiation. There are nearly 1000 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo reservation.

Additional screening co-hosts include National Resource Defense Council, Georgetown Environmental Law Society, Georgetown Law, Georgetown American Constitution Society and the Raben Group. The Bradshaw-Knight Foundation sponsored the events and epilogue.

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Update: Watch a video from The Return of Navajo Boy Capitol Hill screening event.

About a year after their initial radioactivity investigation, the US Environmental Protection Agency demolished Elsie Mae Begay’s highly-contaminated hogan. EPA consultant Andrew Sowder is seen at the end of this clip suggesting that the agency should construct fencing or a sign around the area to protect local residents from further contamination.

Watch more Return of Navajo Boy webisodes.

The story of Elsie Mae Begay is featured prominently in our documentary The Return of Navajo Boy; her home was partially constructed out of uranium rocks from an abandoned mine nearby. Around the same time our film was making its premiere, the EPA investigated her home to see how dangerous it might be. The above video is from an official EPA videotape of the investigation, obtained by Groundswell through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Watch more Return of Navajo Boy webisodes.