Coley Family Housing Update: People can pull together to make things happen!

When the home of Helen Coley at 521 Woodlawn in Saint Augustine burned down, the family's plight touched many people. The home had been highlighted in Dare Not Walk Alone as an example of the inferior living conditions that existed forty years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, right here in the community that fought to get that law passed.

The day after the fire there was an immediate outpouring of material assistance in the community, graciously handled by the local paper, the St. Augustine Record, with aid of folk from several churches and under the eventual coordination of Chey Cobb, one of the executive producers of Dare Not Walk Alone. Chey was eventually able to get Helen and her family relocated to subsidized housing to await rebuilding of the home at 521. In the meantime, St. Johns County stepped up with a program to remove the remnants of the burned out building at no cost (if you know anything about construction, you know this is a big savings because clearing a lot really racks up labor and machinery costs, not to mention heft waste disposal fees).

Thanks to Derek Hankerson of the St John's Housing & Community Services Division, Helen and Chey have completed the paperwork for this phase. Timing of the rebuilding is not clear yet, but it will be financed in part by the donations that continue to come in (see Love Continues to Spread) and for which Helen and here family are deeply grateful. There is also some insurance money to work with.

Helen's case is an interesting example of the complexity of low and fixed income housing issues. Helen had lived in the house for nearly 30 years. There was no mortgage. But she hardly ever had enough money left at the end of the month to foot the bill for repairs and maintenance. And she couldn't afford comprehensive insurance coverage. In other words, and this is by no means a unique situation in this community, if the house is destroyed by a storm or a fire, the owner doesn't have the means to replace it. There is not enough income coming in for a new mortgage or building loan payments. Cases like this tend to slip through all the safety nets and government/private assistance programs.

But there is good news. The county really seems to be paying attention to these problems now and making a serious effort to improve the quality of housing for residents of this community. Nobody is expecting miracles overnight, but the continued concern and generosity of people locally and beyond is making a difference.

Sarasota Here We Come! April festival screening booked

Word just in from Jeremy: THINKFilm has placed Dare Not Walk Alone at the Sarasota Film Festival in April. This is a serious festival--despite the mermaid--and will be a great opportunity for DNWA supporters to show the world how important this film. If we can get a full house, people will pay attention. This could help usher in wider release and/or a DVD. The exact date and time are not yet known, but check the festival web site for the schedule. Obviously we will post them here also. In the meantime, let friends and family know about this chance to see the film, meet Jeremy, and have a good time, all in a good cause.

A Big Thanks to The Sisters in Buffalo!

The new cut of Dare Not Walk Alone had an excellent screening on Saturday night in Buffalo despite the snow. Executive producer Stephen Cobb was amply rewarded for venturing North from balmy St. Augustine by a warm welcome and great hospitality, plus excellent audience participation in the after-screening discussion, not to mention delicious peach cobbler at the reception.

A big, big thanks to Jayme Glover, the Event coordinator, and to all the other board members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority who organized and staged the event, including Nicole who braved the snow to deliver Stephen to the theater (in the photo, left to right, are: Mary, Jayme, Beverly, and Robyn).
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On to Buffalo!

More details on this weekend's screening in Buffalo:

Tickets are $5 per show and can be purchased in advance at the African American Cultural Center Box Office (716) 884-2013, at the Masten District Councilmember Demone Smtih’s Office (716) 851-5145 or at the Market Arcade Film and Arts Centre (716) 855-3096. Parking is available in the M&T lot and attendees can get reimbursed at box office.

There will be an interactive discussion following the screening and an opening day “red carpet” reception. Executive producer Stephen Cobb will be there. Check out the press release for more details.

Thank You Flagler! First ever outdoor screening lights up the night

We will expand on this post with more details in a few hours but we wanted to put up this picture right away...it shows the first ever outdoor screening of Dare Not Walk Alone, on the campus of Flagler College, Saint Augustine, Florida as part of the InterVarsity group's diversity awareness campaign.

Kudos to Kelly and friends for arranging this screening--it was a unique experience and definitely achieved its goal of raising campus awareness of Saint Augustine's racial history. And many thanks to all who donated time and money. The fund for the rebuilding of the Coley house was increased and more volunteers were signed up. All of which is very encouraging. The film's director, Jeremy Dean, himself a Flagler alumn, was unable to attend because he was on his way to a screening in Phoenix at the Arizona Black Film Showcase. However, one of the film's executive producers, Stephen Cobb, was in attendance and participated in a lively post-screening discussion.

As Stephen reported to Jeremy: "This proves you really can string up a big white tarpaulin between two palm trees at night, point a projector at it, hook up a DVD player and a great big speaker, and show a movie. And you have the added bonus that, just as Kelly predicted, passers by get drawn in like flies."

New Cut Screening at Flagler College, Saint Augustine, Feb 13

On Tuesday the 13th there is a screening of the film on the west lawn of Flagler College. The film will begin at 7 p.m.

The very cool organization known as Rosa Loves will be there at a booth selling the special Coley family t-shirts to raise funds for rebuilding the family home.

This is the first time the newly edited version of the film will be screened. In addition to footage of the fire damaged home, new material has been added about the effects of racial attitudes in the after-math of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, passage of which was directly precipitated by the protest movement in Saint Augustine.

DNWA Plays Buffalo: Feb 17 at 5th Annual WNY Black Film Festival

Dear DNWA Supporters!

Please help us get out the word in the Buffalo area (as well as western New York and the Hamilton, Ontario area). Have friends there? Have family there? Let them know the film is playing:

Saturday, February 17 at 6PM at Dipson Theatre

This is the opening night of the 5th Annual WNY Black Film Festival and a good turn out would be a great boost for the film. We know it's cold up there right now, but the passion for justice and equality can thaw the hardest freeze. The phone number for more details and tickets appears to be (716) 834-7655. We will post more specific info as soon as we get it.

Thanks!

Dare Not Walk Alone at Arizona Black Film Showcase

Tell all your friends in the South West: DNWA is playing this month at the 6th Annual Arizona Black Film Showcase in Phoenix.

And Jeremy Dean will be there for a discussion after the film: Thursday, February 15, 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Pulliam Auditorium of the Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave, (602) 534-0603. Here is the flyer. (It is an Adobe PDF).

Be there if you can!

And thanks as ever for your support.

Praise Where Praise is Due: St. Augustine Record Coverage of Racial Struggles

Kudos to Margo Pope of the St. Augustine Record for her story on the hidden history of the city, the unmarked sites of significance in the struggle that precipitated the passage of the first civil rights act in 1964. We are sure that more of the these sites will be marked in the future.

And kudos to the city and county officials who have been so receptive to the needs of the Coley family--there is a real sense that they will help move the rebuilding forward. The attitude of the county as a whole to affordable housing has really taken a positive turn and that needs to be noted.

Happy New Year!

Okay, so we are little late with our New Year wishes, bit no less sincere. We hope all of you have a blessed and bountiful 2007.

The end of 2006 certainly saw some wonderful examples of charitable hearts and minds at work. Contributions to the fund for the Coley family totalled over $1,000. We have not yet had a chance to thank all donors individually, but please know that your contributions, big and small, are all appreciated.

Thanks to the efforts of the wonderful staff at the Woodlawn Apartments, Helen and family were able to move into their temporary residence in time for Christmas. Unlike Christmases past at the house that burned down, heavy rains this Christmas Day posed no threat to an enjoyable dinner and the enjoyment of many gifts.

We are now working with St. John's County on the plans for a replacement for the burned out house and county officials have so far been extremely helpful and understanding. The donated funds will be used to help build the new house and we already have many offers of in-kind assistance with materials, labor, and construction expertise.

As for the movie, things are once again moving forward, with screenings scheduled for February in Phoenix and Buffalo (details to follow as soon as we have them). Director Jeremy Dean recently completed a new cut of the film which includes footage of the burned out house. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to Crawford Communications of Atlanta for their generous support of the editing process.
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