Trentonians Hit The Movies At Local Library

TRENTON-- Last week, members of the Occupy the Hood Movement in association with Anwar's Reflections came together to host a Political Film Fest for the community. The event was held at the Trenton Public Library located near downtown.

Occupy the Hood NJ, an offshoot to the larger Occupy Wall Street movement spreading across the country, over the last couple of months has sought to raise awareness and ultimately cause change regarding issues affecting people living in urban settings like New Jersey's state capital. The group targets issues like unemployment, the prison industrial complex, and dwindling resources for social programs.
 
During the event, three films were shown, Sing Your Song, The Black Power Mixtape, and Inside Job.

All three of the films had some sort of political undertone in them. One film, The Black Power Mixtape, chronicled the Black Power Movement in the black community and Diaspora from 1967 to 1975. Another film, Inside Job, took a look at the role Wall Street played in the 2008 economic crisis that shook the US.

The films were shown as a way to raise awareness about pressing issues affecting the larger community.

Unfortunately, the turnout was not as expected. Throughout the day, the event had around 20 attendees. Looking at this stark reality raises questions like why didn't more people come out? Was it matter of poor promotion and marketing? Was it a matter of bad timing? Or perhaps there was or is a lack of interest in the community regarding these sort of issues? I, for one, don't know the answer to these questions, but I do know that in any event, the movement will continue.

Stay tuned for future events from Anwar's Reflections that are sure to inform, entertain, and encourage the masses.

A special thank you goes out to the Trenton Public Library for allowing us to hold this event and other events in the past in their Community Room. Another special thank you goes to the African American Chamber of Commerce and local grocery store Wegman's for providing food and refreshments for the event.

Local Group Hosts Trenton Film Fest at Library

TRENTON- Local group hosts Trenton Film Festival at the Trenton Public Library. Occupy the Hood NJ in association with Anwar’s Reflections is holding a film fest for the community to come together, have fun, and discuss important political issues affecting individuals living in urban communities like Trenton.

During the event, films The Interrupters, Sing Your Song, The Black Power Mixtape, and Inside Job,  will be shown.

According to the film's website, The Interrupters tells "a moving and surprising story of "three violence interrupters" in Chicago" who seek to protect their communities from the violence they once employed. Sing Your Song tells the story of actor and activist Harry Belafonte and his struggles during the Civil Rights Movement. For more on the film, click here. The Black Power Mixtape chronicles and examines "the Black Power Movement in the black community and Diaspora from 1967 to 1975". For more information on this film click here. Inside Job highlights the role of Wall Street in the 2008 economic crisis that shook the US. For more on this film, click here.

Event participants are invited to take part in a light discussion after the films.

Refreshments will be served during the film festival.

The event is free and being sponsored by the African American Chamber of Commerce. The event is scheduled to go from 10 am to 4 pm Saturday July 28th at the Trenton Public Library located at 120 Academy Street, Downtown Trenton.

For more information, contact members of Occupy the Hood NJ at occupythehoodnj@gmail.com.