“To Be Invisible” Film Screening and Discussion
October 10, 2024
6:30 PM CT
Location: Theater, Student Center South
Every week for the past three years, Alexis and Kellie have stood outside Durham County’s child welfare agency, demanding the return of their children. Together, they embark on a journey to bring their children home. A panel discussion with the director Myah Overstreet and Amanda Wallace of Operation Stop CPS will follow the film screening.
After the screening, join us in Ballroom 210, Student Center South for refreshments.
Speakers
Myah Overstreet is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and journalist from Oakland, California. After completing her master’s degree at the Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley, her debut film To Be Invisible was acquired by The New Yorker and premiered at the 40th annual Sundance Film Festival. Myah’s area of focus is on culture and social inequalities among marginalized communities. She is dedicated to amplifying untold stories about the history and narrative of the Black woman in America. She has taken on freelance roles as a producer, researcher, editor, and coordinator for independent filmmakers. Her previous documentary film roles include work as an associate producer on Black Mothers Love & Resist (2022), which premiered at the San Francisco International Film Festival, and most notably, her work as a production assistant on the film Homeroom (2021), which is currently streaming on Hulu. Myah’s written work has appeared in The Washington Post, YES! Magazine, The California Health Report, Oaklandside, and The Richmond Pulse.
Amanda Wallace founded Operation Stop CPS in May of 2021, a grassroots organization that works with families and community partners to resist local Family Policing agencies. Operation Stop CPS has assisted in campaigns that have seen the return of over 20 children back to their communities. Prior to launching Operation Stop CPS, Amanda was a Child Abuse Investigator for 10-year in NC. Armed with this insider knowledge, Amanda co-authored the Respond in Power Guide, a guide parents and caretakers can use when engaging with the system. Amanda also co-chairs the Black Mothers March on the White House coalition which held its first mobilization in Washington D.C. in 2022.
connease warren (she/her) is a veteran communications strategist and writer who has led bold, innovative campaigns centering racial justice and abolition. connease thinks daily about ways the written word advances and sustains abolitionist conversations, ideas, and actions. She believes joy is an act of revolution that she pursues through reading and writing poetry, singing, practicing yoga, roller skating, and hiking.
This event is in-person only and will not be live-streamed. The film is available to watch online through The New Yorker.