Arts

WWAC screens film, hosts discussion on origins of ‘America the Beautiful’

BRATTLEBORO-Windham World Affairs Council will screen the film From Sea to Shining Sea: Katharine Lee Bates and the Story of America the Beautiful on Sunday, Oct. 19, at 5:30 p.m. at 118 Elliot St.

The screening of the 37-minute film will be followed by a discussion with filmmaker John de Graaf.

"America the Beautiful" might be the most beloved song in the United States, yet few know about the life of its author, Bates. The film tells the story of this poet, Wellesley College professor, and social reformer, beginning with her childhood in Falmouth, Massachusetts. She became an anti-imperialist who fought for the rights of women, workers, people of color, tenement residents, and immigrants.

"As we count down to the United States' 250th anniversary, this film invites us to recommit to the ideals Bates embedded in her timeless anthem, which celebrates both the country's natural beauty and its philosophical commitments," the event organizers write.

"While acknowledging that the United States has often not lived up to its ideals, the poem honors the unbroken chain of Americans who have strived to make it all it can be. It is a powerful reminder that making America beautiful requires justice, empathy, and civic courage."

Over more than 40 years, de Graaf, an author, filmmaker, speaker, and activist, has produced and directed 50 films, including 15 prime-time PBS specials, which have won more than 100 regional, national, and international awards.

He is the author or co-author of four books, including Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic. The John de Graaf Environmental Filmmaking Award, named for him, is presented annually at the Wild and Scenic Film Festival in California.

This program is part of the America 250 Series, a collaboration with Brooks Memorial Library, Windham World Affairs Council, Vermont Independent Media (publisher of The Commons), and 118 Elliot.

Admission is by donation ($10 suggested), and no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Tickets can be reserved at PurpleMountain.eventbrite.com.


This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.

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