Mar
30
Mar 30, 2017
Join Legal Aid in a screening of the film "Walk with Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith" at the 41st Annual Cleveland International Film Festival.
Walk With Me: The Trials of Judge Damon J. Keith tells the story of ten extraordinary years, four groundbreaking cases, and one unconventional federal judge, whose rulings forever changed the face of civil rights in the United States.
Judge Damon J. Keith was first appointed to the U.S. District Court in Detroit, in 1967, only three months after race riots tore apart the city. A rookie judge and an African American, he faced controversy almost immediately when, in an unusual confluence of circumstance, four divisive cases landed on his docket, all of which concerned hidden discriminatory practices that were deeply woven into housing, education, employment, and police institutions. Keith shook the nation as he challenged the status quo and faced off against angry crowds, the KKK, corporate America, and even a sitting U.S. President.
As Judge Keith was reshaping civil rights at the local level, his rulings began setting precedents for change across the nation. Ultimately, the Supreme Court upheld every one of his decisions. There would be no going back.
Now 93, Judge Keith still serves on the US Circuit Court of Appeals; a living embodiment of nearly a century of US history. He was once an ordinary colored man; a janitor whose personal struggles reflected those of a nation first coming to terms with civil rights. He became a fearless and extraordinary judge whose rulings resonate with surprising relevance in a nation still arguing about which lives matter almost 50 years later.
Legal Aid is proud to be a community sponsor of this film at the Cleveland International Film Festival in 2017. Each day, Legal Aid attorneys, staff and volunteers fight for civil justice and work to ensure access to shelter, safety and economic security.
Film times:
- Thursday, March 30, 2017 - 6:50 pm (with a film discussion afterwards)
- Friday, March 31, 2017 - 11:20 am
- Saturday, April 1, 2017 - 9:15 am
Visit www.clevelandfilm.org for more details and to get tickets for "Walk with Me."
Additionally, Legal Aid supporters save $2 on any CIFF move tickets when you use code LASOC.
