Dear Colleagues,

Below is information about a powerful documentary on Hurricane Katrina and its current aftermath.  It was selected for last year’s Sundance Film Festival and Rolling Stone magazine raves about it.  I found the trailer powerful and am trying to convince the director of the Capri Community Film Society to bring it to Montgomery.  Please follow the link to see if it may have possible use in your media, political science, sociology, economics, humanities, environmental sciences and other courses.  You may also want to send an email to Capri Community Film Society Director Martin McCaffery to urge him to bring the documentary to Montgomery if you think you, your students and community would find it useful and would attend.

Kimberly Rivers Roberts, otherwise known as Blackkoldmadina, is the star of the movie Trouble the Water.  My husband Scott and I never dreamed that people would be responding to us in such a strong, joyful, positive way, really feeling us and understanding the journey that we've been on.

Trouble the Water shows what can happen if you stay positive no matter what environment you're forced to live in, or what negative influences you have to deal with, and expect better out of life than what you see. It shows that everyone makes mistakes and a mistake does not determine the future, you do.

You can see the documentary trailer at http://www.troublethewaterfilm.com/sharetrailer

In the past few months, Roberts has shaken hands with the richest of the rich, and been introduced to the smartest and the brightest in their field and slept in the most comfortable beds that money can buy.  She says: “But no matter where I am, or who I meet, I can never forget where I come from, and the people I love. I go back to New Orleans and see the poverty, our neglected schools, our destroyed neighborhoods. Living in these conditions, you feel like this is the world, and there's nothing to lose.

Had it not been for this movie, I would not have known that a positive educational environment existed for me. I know now I can enjoy a better quality of life. But where I'm from, it's not given to us, we have to take it.

You might remember that I wrote a song called Trouble the Water that's in the movie. The song describes what happened before, during and after Katrina -- our attitude about survival and our pride in our community in spite of being forgotten about, underprivileged, and overlooked. The song says that the people of New Orleans deserve more then a commemoration with a wreath -- we deserve the opportunity to be educated. We are productive citizens who care about each other and are passionate about our communities.

The song explains that with the right tools, we can have a positive effect on the world. But we need the tools.

Know Justice, Know Peace,

Rev. Dr. E-K. Daufin, Professor of Communication

ASU FSA Co-VP for Faculty, AEJMC MAC Officer

Alabama State University, 915 S. Jackson St.

Montgomery, AL 36101-0271 PH:334-229-6885

Thanks in advance for your research & creative activity referrals: http://home.earthlink.net/~ekdaufin

With all my  heart I want work that I love; for abundant pay; in a beautiful, functional, comfortable environment; with/for kind, competent, happy, supportive people who love, enjoy and appreciate me and I they. Ashe.

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