Contextual Information

KEVIN SHAW

As a director, producer cinematographer and editor, Kevin Shaw has created Emmy award-winning content for national television networks. Shaw was a segment director and cinematographer on America to Me, and cinematographer on City So Real, from Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Steve James, where they both debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on Starz and Hulu respectively. Shaw’s debut documentary, The Street Stops Here, premiered on PBS and ESPN to rave reviews. He won an Edward R. Murrow Award for his short film about a quadriplegic trying to regain the ability to walk. Shaw is an alum of Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Stanley Nelson’s Firelight Media Documentary Lab.

WHAT IS GRASSROOTS ACTIVISM?

The film you are about to watch follows a community’s response to the potential closure of a beloved public school. The community’s actions are an example of grassroots activism, which refers to collective action organized at the community level to address a political or social issue. Unlike organizations and movements that are initiated and controlled by a leader or board, grassroots movements are driven by the people at the ground level.

Grassroots movements often build strength for their position through direct actions. Direct action refers to a variety of political tactics and methods used to raise awareness or force discussion on an issue. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., nonviolent direct action “seeks to dramatize the issue [so] that it can no longer be ignored.” Like voting, direct actions, which include protests and sit-ins, are an essential part of a democracy. Unlike voting, however, direct actions can happen at any time, and anybody in a society can initiate a direct action—not just those of voting age.

Questions to Consider:

1. What are some examples of grassroots activism and direct action that you have seen in your community? 2. Are there any issues that you feel strongly enough about that you would get involved via direct action?