This free in-person event is first come, first served
(no advance registration)
SUMMARY
-
UCSB Arts & Lectures presents We Are the Dream -The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest
-
Every year, hundreds of school children participate in the Oakland MLK Oratorical Festival, a stirring public speaking competition featuring poetry and speeches inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
-
Directed by Amy Schaltz, Produced by Mahsershala Ali
-
FInal event of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 2020-2021 Race to Justice series
-
Thursday, June 3 / 8:30 p.m. Pacific / West Wind Drive-in
-
FREE in person film admission is first come, first served (no advance registration). Masks and social distancing required. Distanced parking includes room to put chairs in front of your car
-
Tickets/Info: (805) 893-3535, www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
UCSB Arts & Lectures‘ 2020-2021 Race to Justice series concludes with a free screening of We Are the Dream -The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest on Thursday, June 3 at 8:30 p.m. Pacific. Every year, hundreds of school children participate in the Oakland MLK Oratorical Festival, a stirring public speaking competition featuring poetry and speeches inspired by the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This uplifting documentary directed by Emmy-winner Amy Schatz and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Mahershala Ali follows students from schools across the city as they hone their speeches, hoping for a coveted spot in the finals. Heartwarming and inspiring, We Are the Dream presents a portrait of passionate young people presenting speeches on issues they care about – racial injustice, immigration and more – and a community that celebrates their powerful voices. (Amy Schatz, 2020, G, 70 min.)
Gates open at 7:00 p.m. Arrive early to enjoy food trucks, concessions and entertainment K-LITE 101.7 FM. Masks and social distancing required. Distanced parking includes room to put chairs in front of your car.
The virtual event is part of UCSB Arts & Lectures’ Race to Justice series.
ABOUT
AMY SCHATZ
Amy Schatz is an award-winning director and producer of children’s shows, series, and documentaries. Her work — a mix of animation, documentary, performances, music videos, and heartfelt interviews with kids — has earned 8 Emmy Awards, 7 Directors Guild of America Awards, 3 Peabody Awards, Parents’ Choice Awards, and others.
Schatz’s most recent productions include We Are the Dream, an inspirational film featuring kids who take the stage in a public speaking competition honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and TheRunaway Bunny, a musical adaptation of the classic book. Other shows for little ones include the critically acclaimed Classical Baby series andGoodnight Moon & Other Sleepytime Tales. In 2019, Schatz released Song of Parkland, a film with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas drama department, and two documentaries about September 11th — In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11 and What Happened on September 11. Among her other HBO projects are: The Number on Great-Grandpa’s Arm, a Holocaust story, Saving My Tomorrow, a series on the environment produced with the American Museum of Natural History, and An Apology to Elephants, a film with Lily Tomlin.
Additional HBO titles include: A Child’s Garden of Poetry, A Family is a Family is a Family, Don’t Divorce Me! Kids’ Rules for Parents on Divorce,’Twas the Night, Hard Times for an American Girl: The Great Depression, Through a Child’s Eyes: September 11, 2001, Rosie O’Donnell’s Kids are Punny, and director on The Music in Me. Schatz was a producer on the 13-part animated Harold and the Purple Crayon and the specials, Going, Going, Almost Gone! Animals in Danger and How Do You Spell God?. For PBS, Schatz’s credits include the Bill Moyers series, Moyers on Addiction, A World of Ideas and What Can We Do About Violence? as well as Fred Friendly’s Before I Die and Your Money & Your Life and stories for the arts series City Arts and EGG. Her feature film credits include associate producer on George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Meredith Monk’sBook of Days.
MAHERSHALA ALI
Mahershala Ali is quickly becoming one of the freshest and most in-demand faces in Hollywood with his extraordinarily diverse skill set and wide-ranging background in film, television, and theater. He is the first black actor to win two Academy Awards in the same category for his performances as Juan in Moonlight and Don Shirley in Green Book. Mahershala is also known for portraying House of Cards fan favorite Remy Danton, Cornell ‘Cottonmouth’ Stokes in Marvel’s Luke Cage, and Wayne Hays in HBO’s True Detective. Most recently, he starred alongside Ramy Youssef in Hulu’s comedy-drama series Ramy and is the executive producer for We Are The Dream.
RACE TO JUSTICE
Race to Justice: This is a moment of reckoning. As a nation, we are confronting evidence of inequality that reaches every corner of society. Arts & Lectures has a history of bringing complex issues to the forefront. Now, we are spearheading an in-depth look at systemic racism from every angle, including abolition, underlying conditions, reparations, criminal justice and more. Interdisciplinary and cross-departmental, this season-long series engages leading activists, creatives and thinkers to expand our understanding of racism and how race impacts society and to inspire an expansive approach to advancing racial equality.
UCSB ARTS & LECTURES
Founded in 1959, UCSB Arts & Lectures is the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Arts & Lectures annually presents more than a hundred events, from critically-acclaimed concerts and dance performances by world-renowned artists to talks by groundbreaking authors and film series at UCSB and Santa Barbara-area venues. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” A&L also oversees an outreach program that brings visiting artists and speakers into local classrooms and other venues for master classes, open rehearsals, discussions and more, serving K-12 students, college students and the general public.
We Are the Dream -The Kids of the Oakland MLK Oratorical Fest is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. Part of the Race to Justice series.
FREE film admission is first come, first served (no advance registration).
For tickets and more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu.
Race to Justice Lead Sponsors: Marcy Carsey, Connie Frank & Evan Thompson, Patty & John MacFarlane, Sara Miller McCune, Santa Barbara Foundation, Lynda Weinman & Bruce Heavin, Dick Wolf, and Zegar Family Foundation.
Race to Justice UC Santa Barbara Campus Partners: Department of Black Studies, Center for Black Studies Research, Division of Social Sciences, Division of Humanities and Fine Arts, Division of Mathematical, Life and Physical Sciences, Division of Student Affairs, Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, Graduate Division, Bren School for Environmental Science & Management, College of Creative Studies, College of Engineering, MultiCultural Center, Carsey-Wolf Center, The Program in Latin American and Iberian Studies, UCSB Library | UCSB Reads, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor.
Race to Justice Media Sponsors: Santa Barbara Independent, KCRW, Voice Magazine, Noozhawk.
Most Race to Justice events are hour-long programs and include an audience Q&A.
Race to Justice events are FREE for UCSB students (registration required).
UCSB Arts & Lectures gratefully acknowledges our Community Partners theNatalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli for their generous support of the 2020-2021 season.