Welcome to Shelbyville “What If…” Film Screening

May 25, 2017 - 6:30 PM to 6:30 PM

NOTE: This event is NOT at ArtRage Gallery.
It will occur at the Erie Canal Museum,  318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse

Presented by The Gifford Foundation “What If…” Film Series
in partnership with The Erie Canal Museum,
the New American Women’s Empowerment Group, InterFaith Works, the Refugee Alliance of CNY and ArtRage Gallery

image005Syracuse has a long history of being a welcoming city.
How can we work together to continue this legacy?

MV5BNjEzODRjNDAtMGE4ZC00NjBlLWEyM2ItNTcxYjM1NWM2Yzc5L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTk5NTk5ODk@._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_And a special presentation of the new short film America Heard: Refuge of Hope 
Syracuse, New York is an unlikely home to over 10,000 former refugees.
Two women at the forefront of this community reflect on what their presidential vote means to those
whose only true home is the American town that took them in.

Welcome to Shelbyville is a glimpse of America at a crossroads. In this one small town in the heart of America’s Bible Belt, a community grapples with rapidly changing demographics. Just a stone’s throw away from Pulaski, Tennessee (the birthplace of the Ku Klux Klan), longtime African American and white residents are challenged with how best to integrate with a growing Latino population and the more recent arrival of hundreds of Muslim Somali refugees.

The film captures the interaction between these residents as they navigate new waters against the backdrop of a tumultuous year. The economy is in crisis, factories are closing, and jobs are hard to find. The local Tyson chicken plant is hiring hundreds of new Somali refugees, and when a local reporter initiates a series of articles about the newcomers, a flurry of controversy and debate erupts within the town.  The story is an intimate portrayal of a community’s struggle to understand what it means to be American. Followed by a community discussion.

Free and Open to the Public.

NOTE: This event is NOT at ArtRage Gallery.
It will occur at the Erie Canal Museum,
318 Erie Blvd E, Syracuse, NY 13202

The event will be held in the second floor gallery. Please enter the main entrance and use the elevator or stairs on the left. 
Free parking is available in the lot on Erie Boulevard East under routes 81 and 690.

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