The Issue: Urban Flight Among San Francisco’s African-American Population
San Francisco's African-American population has been cut in half since the 1970s, and Oakland lost one quarter of its African American population between 2000 and 2010 alone, according to United States Census estimates. The best way to curb the trend is to provide affordable housing, according to the findings of the Report of the San Francisco Mayor's Task Force on African-American Out-Migration.
The Campaign: Committing Multimedia Social Justice Theater to Film
All donations to this Grassroots campaign will be used by The Iruke Project to help fund film adaptations of multimedia social justice plays. The first $500 raised will be matched by Howard Eberhart, and used by the organization to produce SHAFTED: The Blaxploitation Project. With $1000, The Iruke Project can hire an actor and six-man crew, rent sound equipment, and purchase filmcards for the two-day shoot. Additional funds raised will be used to produce future film adaptations.
Currently, SHAFTED: The Blaxploitation Project exists solely as an interactive multimedia theater production. Through music, dance, spoken word, and films produced by a diverse array of artists, the production aims to raise awareness about the consequences of gentrification in San Francisco. Taking stylistic cues from Blaxploitation films of the 1970s, the production opens with a DJ dance party and encourages the audience to participate by wearing disco, soul, and funk costumes. The next live performance will occur on June 7 and 8, 2013, as part of the National Queer Arts Festival.
The Iruke Project
As the Artistic Director behind The Iruke Project, Anthony Julius Williams has his irons in a lot of visionary fires. While his work can take on many forms, from theater to music to window installations, his overarching goal is to turn everyday elements – nature, the human form, conversation – into creative catalysts for cross-cultural love and understanding. Anthony and his diverse array of collaborators regularly host gatherings such as community forums and theater workshops, hoping to spark important conversations about human potential, social justice, and building sustainable communities.
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