Join the Center for Social Media and the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop fora special screening of The Interrupters, courtesy of Cinema Guild and Kartemquin Films. The Interrupters documentary film tells the powerful story of three individuals who choose to interrupt the cycle of violence they once employed in their own communities.
Following the screening, esteemed members of Free Minds will a special reading of poems relating to the issues in "The Interrupters" to kick off DC-focused dialogue about ways to decrease violence in communities. The vision of the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop is for every young inmate to receive the necessary tools, inspiration and community support to pursue education and follow a positive new path in life. Members' experiences are a direct reflection of The Interrupters story--Washington, DC's own struggle to face the issue of violence and the hope of transformation.
About the Speakers:
Michael Kemp, Free Minds Reentry Coach
Michael has been a Free Minds member since 2007 when he was first incarcerated as a juvenile at the DC Jail. As a reentry coach he draws on his own experience to motivate recently returned Free Minds members towards a positive life path. Michael also works at the Campaign for Youth Justice, an organization dedicated to ending the practice of trying and sentencing youth in the adult criminal justice system. He shares his life story with political leaders, service providers and students to educate the community on the underlying causes of youth incarceration. Michael is currently producing his own documentary on the challenges of reentry and is an avid poet and musician. He enjoys using his writing and musical skills to prevent more youth from entering the criminal justice system.
Mark Timberlake, Free Minds Reentry Outreach Specialist
For more than eight years, Mark has devoted himself to empowering young people in the District of Columbia. In role as part time Outreach and Reentry Specialist for Free Minds, Mark draws on his own powerful story of successful homecoming to motivate recently returned Free Minds members towards a positive life path. Mark connects Free Minds youth to employment and life skills training, job opportunities, and educational resources while providing an invaluable role as mentor helping them navigate successfully through the challenges of life after incarceration. Mark has also worked as a Family Support Worker and Community Resource Specialist at the East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, Inc. Mark has been nominated for numerous awards including Outstanding DC Government Employee of the Year, and was named Father of the Year in 2007 by the Alliance of Concerned Men.
Eddie Ellis Jr. , Founder and CEO of One By 1 Inc.
One By 1, Inc., a non-profit organization based in the Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia area that works to keep communities safe. One By 1 works with community based programs, grassroots organizations, service providing agencies and national advocacy groups to provide resources and expert trainings on equitable criminal justice reform. One By 1 also improves the lives of young people who are at risk, or already involved in the juvenile justice system by providing mentoring services and skill based projects designed to build self-esteem, confidence, and leadership skills. One By 1 strives to increase peace by speaking about the importance of establishing peace and to appreciate diversity within the community.
About "The Interrupters":
The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. From acclaimed director Steve James and bestselling author Alex Kotlowitz, this film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year out of Kartemquin Films, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape.