submitted by groven@augsburg.edu
Environmental Activism Documentary Screening
Sunday, Oct 1, 3:00 PM, SCI 123
FREE PUBLIC SCREENING! PLEASE SHARE WIDELY!
AUGSBURG COLLEGE, MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2023 3:00 PM-5:00 PM
SCIENCE HALL 123, Q & A with director John de Graaf after the film
Stewart Lee Udall was the most prominent and effective Secretary of the Interior in American history, yet his legacy is not well recognized. John de Graaf’s film, STEWART UDALL: The Politics of Beauty examines the trajectory of Udall’s life from his childhood to his years as Secretary of the Interior under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, focusing on his effectiveness as a dedicated, bi-partisan public servant. The film highlights his long fight to win compensation for Navajo Indians and “downwinders” who acquired cancer from their exposure to radiation during the Cold War atomic bomb testing – without being warned of the dangers! Udall called on all Americans to move away from our emphasis on economic growth and consumerism toward quality of life, and a new political ethos centered on beauty, simplicity, appreciation of nature and the arts, and a recognition of Earth’s limits – a message that still resonates today!
“It beckons us all to public service, informs us on how we came to benefit from the conservation we so enjoy, and, perhaps above all, teaches us the power of persistence and a smile. Don’t miss this masterpiece.”
Gus Speth, Former Director, United Nations Development Program and Dean, Yale School of the Environment.
“Absolutely fantastic! An amazing and insightful offering.”
-Dr. Michael Dorsey, Assistant Professor, Environmental Studies, Dartmouth College