“Raised/Razed” Movie Discussion with the Filmmakers!

Filmmaker Lorenzo Dickerson and writer Jordy Yager, local creators of the very well-received May 2022 movie Raised/Razed about the life and destruction of Vinegar Hill, will speak at 6:30pm on July 28th at the Central Library. You can attend this event either in person (Swanson Case Room 125, formerly named the McIntire Room) or  via this Zoom link.

Lorenzo and Jordy will share hard truths about the federal Urban Renewal program and its impact on scores of American cities (Durham, NC is also profiled) through a deep dive into the history and demolition of Vinegar Hill, Charlottesville’s oldest African American neighborhood. They chart the lives of its residents as they faced racially discriminatory policies and a city government that saw them as obstacles to “progress”, and they identify some of the most important take-aways from this history.

Many of us watched Raised/Razed at its Jefferson School or PBS premieres; if you haven’t seen it yet it’s only an hour long and is available at no charge on the VPM website <https://vpm.org/raisedrazed>. Please watch (or re-watch!) the film before their talk and come with questions about (1) their journalistic & cinematic storytelling and (2) what they learned in the process of making the film.

Note — this is the first in-person speaker event in our co-sponsored series with Albemarle Dems since Covid began!