Since the early 1900’s Housing Segregation policy has confined black and brown people, cutting them off from opportunity and resources and creating abject poverty. These communities become vulnerable to gun violence, educational failure, lack of access to medical services, disaster relief and healthy food. Within the context of the documentary series, The House I Never Knew, this discussion will center around housing justice and explore what solutions are available for people who want to level the playing field and illustrated through the game of Monopoly.
Bios
Angela Tucker (Founder/President) of TuckerGurl, is an Emmy nominated producer, writer and director. Her directorial work includes PAPER CHASE, a teen comedy in pre production with Gunpowder and Sky; ALL STYLES, a dance movie in post production starring Fik-Shun (SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE) and Heather Morris (GLEE); BLACK FOLK DON’T, a documentary web series in its fourth season featured in Time Magazine’s “10 Ideas That Are Changing Your Life” and (A)SEXUAL a feature length documentary about people who experience no sexual attraction that streamed on Netflix and Hulu for four years. She is in her sixth year as Series Producer of the PBS strand, AFROPOP and was Co-Producer on THE NEW BLACK. Previously, she was the Director of Production at Big Mouth Films, a social issue documentary production company. There, she worked on several award-winning documentaries, including PUSHING THE ELEPHANT (PBS’ Independent Lens). In 2006, she co-founded TuckerGurl LLC, a production company passionate about telling compelling and irreverent stories about underrepresented communities. Tucker was a Sundance Institute Women Filmmakers Initiative fellow. She received her MFA in Film from Columbia University.
Randall Dottin is the chair of the screenwriting school in NYC. Dottin is an award-winning writer, director, and producer. He received his MFA at the Columbia University School of the Arts Graduate Film Division. His thesis film, A-Alike, was licensed for a two-year broadcast run by HBO and won numerous awards including a Director’s Guild of America Award for Best African American Student Filmmaker and a Gold Medal at the Student Academy Awards for Best Narrative Film. His short film Lifted was sponsored by Fox Searchlight’s program for emerging directors, the Fox Searchlab. He is the writer, director, and producer of The Chicago Franchise, a feature-length documentary that was recently accepted into IFP Week’s Spotlight on Documentaries.
Cedric Harrison is the Founder and Executive Director of Support The Port Foundation, Inc. a 501(c)3 non profit organization that aims to “bridge” the communities of Wilmington together through philanthropy, scholarship, music, arts and culture. Through these roles Cedric strives to connect individuals with opportunities and expand their horizons, while creating a more equitable and harmonious community. His call to action began 15 years ago, when his best friend, who was just 17 years old at the time, shot and killed another boy in self-defense. News of a child killing another child in a gang-related crime was a shocking event in Wilmington, North Carolina and marked a tipping point toward the rapid escalation of gangs in the community. For Cedric, the shooting was a fork in the road that led him to dedicate his life to promoting social justice, violence prevention, and improving economic opportunities for young African Americans in Wilmington. He has taken many steps toward becoming a leader on these issues in Wilmington, including leading anti-violence campaigns and forming a non-profit agency called Support the Port, whose mission is “to enhance, cultivate and provide a renewed sense of community ownership and excellence for residents of Wilmington, North Carolina.” Ultimately, Cedric’s vision is to develop a more peaceful, integrated, and prosperous society for all residents.
Suzanne Rogers is the Community Development and Housing Planner with the City of Wilmington, NC. She has served in this role for the past 10 years. Prior to employment with the City, Suzanne was the executive director for the Center for Neighborhood Development in Knoxville, TN and also served as executive director of the Waccamaw Siouan Development Association, Bolton, NC. Suzanne’s career in Community Development has allowed her to work in marginalized communities serving low-to-moderate income populations. She has experience in community organizing and participatory planning, affordable housing development and economic development. While at the Center for Neighborhood Development, Suzanne presented the Center’s Transforming Neighborhoods Together program at the United Nations Habitat II Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. This award winning program utilized neighborhood resident’s to create comprehensive plans for neighborhood revitalization. In her current position, Suzanne leads a team of six to administer federal, state and local funds for community development programs that support youth, elderly, disabled and other at-risk populations as well as providing funding for housing development, homebuyer assistance, and housing rehabilitation for low-to-moderate income households. Suzanne received a BS and MPA from the University of NC at Wilmington and is a native of southeastern NC.