After losing her job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas, Ruby Duncan joined a welfare rights group of mothers who defied notions of the “welfare queen.” In a fight for guaranteed income, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down Caesars Palace.
Storming Caesars Palace premieres on PBS’s INDEPENDENT LENS on March 20, 2022, at 9 p.m. CT. The film will also be available on the PBS Video app.
Join us at the Carbondale Public Library for a film screening and community conversation on Sunday, March 5, 2023 at 2:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public.
WSIU and the Carbondale Public Library will host a screening and community conversation centered on the Independent Lens film Storming Caesars Palace by filmmaker Hazel Gurland-Pooler.
Black women community activists will lead audience discussion following the film: Corene McDaniel of the African American Museum of Southern Illinois, Nancy Maxwell of Carbondale United, and Chastity Mays of the Black Chamber of Commerce of Southern Illinois.
Individuals with disabilities are welcome. Call (618) 453-4344 to request accommodations.
Carbondale Public Library
405 West Main Street
Carbondale, IL 62901
618-457-0354
ABOUT THE FILM
After losing her job as a hotel worker in Las Vegas, Ruby Duncan joined a welfare rights group of mothers who defied notions of the “welfare queen.” In a fight for guaranteed income, Ruby and other equality activists took on the Nevada mob in organizing a massive protest that shut down Caesars Palace.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKER:
Hazel Gurland-Pooler is a Colombian-born, NYC-based director/producer and documentary filmmaker. She directed 10 episodes of PBS’s, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. and co-produced the 6-hour The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross, also with Gates Jr., which won Emmy, Peabody, duPont-Columbia, and NAACP Image awards.
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Additional Resources
Download the Discussion Guide: Storming Caesars Palace
WSIU Film Events
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a WSIU media project that brings people together for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Indie Lens Pop-Up features documentaries from the PBS hit series Independent Lens, draws local residents together to discuss newsworthy topics. Events are free and open to the public.
About Indie Lens Pop-Up
Indie Lens Pop-Up is a neighborhood series that brings people together—virtually and in-person—for film screenings and community-driven conversations. Featuring documentaries seen on PBS's INDEPENDENT LENS, Indie Lens Pop-Up draws local residents, leaders, and organizations together to discuss what matters most, from newsworthy topics, to family and community relationships. Make friends, share stories, and join the conversation. For more information, visitpbs.org/independentlens/indie-lens-pop-up
About Independent Lens
INDEPENDENT LENS is an Emmy® Award-winning weekly PBS series airing Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET. The acclaimed series, with Lois Vossen as executive producer, features documentaries united by the creative freedom, artistic achievement, and unflinching visions of independent filmmakers. Presented by ITVS, the series is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, with additional funding from Acton Family Giving, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit pbs.org/independentlens. Join the conversation: facebook.com/independentlens and on Twitter @IndependentLens.
