University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

Justine Shaw, subject of "One for Justice"

The documentaries were developed at docUWM, a documentary center at UWM directed by the films’ executive producer, Brad Lichtenstein, and Alison Rostankowski, lecturer in the Department of Journalism and Mass Communications.

“One for Justice” by Michael Vollmann and Tim Hansen tells the story of Justina Shaw, a tireless crusader for justice who manages to help build homes in Katrina-ravaged Mississippi, create a program to bring underprivileged kids to campus and graduate early. It airs Wednesday, March 7,, on the Milwaukee Public Television (MPTV 10/36) show “Black Nouveau” at 6:30 p.m., with an in-studio interview with Shaw.

“One for Justice” also airs on the Wisconsin Public Television (WPT) show “In Wisconsin” outside of the Milwaukee area on Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. (with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend), and on Milwaukee Public Television on Sunday, April 1,, at 11:30 a.m.

Kelsi Stoehr and Rachel Wiederhoeft’s “Feminista” follows Mexican-American student Jacqueline Smith as she turns her own experience and understanding of poverty and discrimination into social action. Smith perseveres, despite finding herself excluded from the recognition her male colleague gets for the hard work they both did to improve the higher education prospects of poor high school kids. The documentary airs on WPT Thursday, April 5, at 7 p.m. (with rebroadcasts throughout the weekend), and on MPTV 10/36 on Sunday, April 8, at 11:30 a.m.

All four documentaries―“One for Justice,” “Feminista,” “No Regrets,” and “Be The Change”―are on a DVD called “What’s Your Story: Young People Take on the Challenges of Civic Life.” The DVD also includes highlights from a meeting that was held at The Johnson Foundation’s Wingspread Conference Center between the subjects of the films; the filmmakers; Mark Hanis, executive director of Genocide Intervention Network; and Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Washington Bureau Chief. A guide is included to facilitate classroom discussions. These DVDs can be ordered without charge from The Johnson Foundation (www.johnsonfdn.org). Over 1,000 DVDs will be distributed through Campus Compact and organizations like City Year.

All four documentaries are streaming at The Johnson Foundation Web site, http://www.johnsonfdn.org/AudioVis_recordings/Horses'MouthII_main.html.Also streaming at the Web site are conversations between the subjects of the films, the filmmakers, and Mark Hanis, executive director of Genocide Intervention Network, and Craig Gilbert, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Washington Bureau Chief.

Lichtenstein describes docUWM: “We produce student-faculty collaborations, present documentaries to the campus and wider community, and will soon offer an academic track of study in documentary.” docUWM is supported by the Peck School of the Arts and the College of Letters and Sciences, and is based in the Department of Film. The documentaries were made possible by Wisconsin Campus Compact and The Johnson Foundation.

For more information about broadcasts, visit www.wpt.org and www.mptv.org.