Civic Engagement in Cynical Times: Books & Videos from the ACC Library

Everyday Heros

EVERYDAY HEROES takes a behind-the-headlines look at a diverse group of young adults who give a year of their lives through a San Francisco area AmeriCorps program to tutor and mentor needy kids. Despite their good intentions, they are confronted by a host of obstacles, including a racial divide that threatens to thwart their efforts. While documenting a year both turbulent and exhilarating, the film reveals the hopes and dreams, successes and setbacks of a group of individuals--potentially tomorrow's leaders-- searching for their place in the world and trying, against odds, to make a difference.

Education for What? Learning Social Responsibility

This program examines the role college students play in helping solve community problems as part of their regular curriculum. Shot on location on six urban campuses across the country, the program looks at how a broad range of discipline and interdisciplinary program help engage student in service learning. It also examines whether service learning leads to greater engagement in civic processes and the extent to which it addresses political apathy among young voters. Through interviews with all stakeholders, the program explores the benefits and issues surrounding service-learning from the perspective of students, faculty members, administrators, and community organizations.

Moyers & Company: The Path of Positive Resistance

Between them, Drs. Jill Stein and Margaret Flowers have been arrested nine times fighting injustice in America. Stein and Flowers serve as president and secretary of health, respectively, for the Green Shadow Cabinet, an organization formed to speak out against dysfunctional government and offer alternative policies. In this edition of Moyers & Company, Bill speaks with Stein and Flowers about their personal journeys, what they have learned about our political system, and why they continue to fight the good fight. Also included are a preview of Following the Ninth, a new film about Beethoven’s masterpiece, and Bill’s thoughts on viewer response to Moyers & Company programs on drone attacks and government surveillance. Broadcast date: November 15, 2013.

#ReGENERATION: Social Activism

Ryan Gosling narrates this engrossing film about social activism, the forces that galvanized the Occupy movement, and how a new generation of young people is coming to terms with a rapidly changing world.

The film skillfully weaves commentary from some of the country's leading political and social analysts with personal observations from a collective of young musicians, a tight-knit group of suburban high-school students, and a young conservative family, providing a nuanced look at the myriad challenges facing the next generation of Americans. The result is as personal as it is political, as much a portrait of the contemporary political scene as of a generation of young people finding their way in uncertain times.

Moyers & Company: Social Activism 2.0—How Citizens Are Standing Up for Democracy

American history is rich with stories of social change inspired by the actions of motivated individuals and organized groups. Today’s activists are no different—facing long odds against powerful and systemic special interests. In this edition of Moyers & Company, Bill Moyers talks with young but very experienced organizers George Goehl, Ai-Jen Poo, and Sarita Gupta, all involved with a nationwide citizens’ initiative called the 99% Spring, which took place the week of April 9, 2012. Organizers aimed to train 100,000 Americans to teach about income inequality in homes, places of worship, campuses, and the streets. The program concludes with a Moyers essay on what citizens can do to find out who’s paying for all those political ads running on their local television stations. Broadcast date: March 30, 2012.

This Land is Our Land

For more than three decades, transnational corporations have been busy buying up what used to be known as the commons -- everything from our forests and our oceans to our broadcast airwaves and our most important intellectual and cultural works. In THIS LAND IS OUR LAND, acclaimed author David Bollier, a leading figure in the global movement to reclaim the commons, bucks the rising tide of anti-government extremism and free market ideology to show how commercial interests are undermining our collective interests. Placing the commons squarely within the American tradition of community engagement and the free exchange of ideas and information, Bollier shows how a bold new international movement steeped in democratic principles is trying to reclaim our common wealth by modeling practical alternatives to the restrictive monopoly powers of corporate elites.