By all accounts, the screening of Do the Math at Market Street Cinema last month was a success: good crowd, lot's of enthusiasm. But what exactly did we accomplish? Here are my thoughts ten days out.
First, a few of us had previously seen the film online, but viewing it on the big screen with a large gathering is a whole different experience, very inspiring and worth the effort. Second, I believe it raised awareness in the community by a small but significant amount. Not a few people said they had no idea of the magnitude of the issue, and others already sympathetic to the cause said they learned a lot. Third, the screening led directly to several actions toward divestment and reinvestment being initiated. This takes time, of course, but the ball was started rolling. (For those interested in learning more about divestment and reinvestment GreenFaith is offering a Webinar on July 15 you can view at home, live or recorded.) Fourth, several people asked how they can get a copy of the film to show their friends. Not only the trailer, but the movie is on YouTube. Finally, it's gratifying to have brought together many related groups and causes. At the risk of leaving some out, I counted individuals with ties to:
- Arkansas Interfaith Power and Light
- Sierra Club, Central Arkansas Group
- Just Communities of Arkansas
- Little Rock Summer of Solutions
- GreenFaith
- Episcopal Peace Fellowship of Arkansas
- Occupy Little Rock
- Occupy Arkansas
- Arkansans Concerned About Oil Pipelines
- Mayflower Arkansas Oil Spill
- St. Margaret's Episcopal Church
So what do we do now? Soon I hope to write a separate essay on what our next steps might be, but the second film in the One in Seven Billion series is Occupy Love, a documentary that frames the crises of our time as the greatest love story on earth.
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