Movies to Support the Moral Monday Movement
With the North Carolina NAACP and two dozen state and local partners, Working Films launched Moral Movies, a multi-issue film series fueling the momentum of the Moral Monday movement. Moral Mondays was the massive public response to extreme policies that have dismantled the social safety net, women’s rights, and environmental protections in North Carolina. The Moral Movies series has showcased issues hotly debated in the state legislature and across the nation, including public education (American Teacher), income inequality (Inequality for All), the need for social safety net programs (American Winter), and restrictive changes to voting laws (Freedom Summer).
The political shift in North Carolina has not occurred in isolation. States across the country have become the front lines of major policy battles while the federal government is increasingly gridlocked. As the sea change occurred in North Carolina, Working Films was uniquely positioned to respond. In doing so, we have piloted and refined an innovative and effective way of using documentary films across a state, which we are now replicating.
"A movement must not only have a message that inspires but metaphors that compellingly put flesh and bones on the pain caused by extreme policies. Storytelling through film is a powerful way to inspire civic participation. The Moral Movies film series has leveraged this important tool at critical moments and given people a way to get and stay involved in the moral movement."
- Reverend William J. Barber II, North Carolina NAACP President"The moral movies series has provided us the opportunity to connect with dozens of local organizations and hundreds of North Carolinians to discuss the growing problem of inequality and poverty and how we can support better policies to address these issues. By presenting the issues in the context of a movie and discussion, it allows for an entertaining, creative presentation of some tough issues and helps people think outside the box on ways we can all address these problems as individuals, organizations, local communities and in a broader state, national and global context."
- Amber Moodie-Dyer, NC Justice Center