The film department, in collaboration with the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law, is proud to present Windsor Park: The Sinking Streets, a short documentary premiere and panel event at 6 p.m. Sept. 23 in UNLV’s Flora Dungan Humanities room 109.
At the encouragement of Nevada State Senator Dina Neal and law professors Ngai Pindell and Frank Fritz, undergraduate and graduate UNLV film students donned their masks and returned to the field to interview documentary subjects and bring awareness to a local community in the shadows searching for hope.
Windsor Park: The Sinking Streets, is about one of the first all-Black housing communities in North Las Vegas – off Clayton Street and Cartier Avenue – seeking justice after withdrawal of groundwater and geological faults caused their homes and streets to sink and crack. Although the government offered financial help to relocate, it was not enough to buy comparable homes, and many residents were financially unable to take advantage of it. They feel ignored and neglected by their government. The film questions whether this is an issue of systemic racism.
The night will kick off with an introduction from environmental law specialist professor Frank Fritz discussing the importance of environmental justice issues, before premiering the documentary.
We will then present two panels after the screening. During the first panel, Senator Neal will sit down with residents of the Windsor Park community and renowned Las Vegas oral historian Claytee White for an intimate conversation about issues pertaining to redlining and structural racism.
Following that, there will be a second panel and Q&A session with the documentary’s filmmakers as well as lead advocates in the Windsor Park movement. Some of our distinguished panelists will include film professor Brett Levner, law professor Ngai Pindell, UNLV juris doctor candidate Sebastian Ross, social media consultant Shahab Zargari, as well as students who made the film like graduate film student and producer Olivé. Film professor Kynan Dias will moderate.
We will wrap up the evening with a call to action. We encourage everyone to join the conversation on social media for premiere updates as well as the latest developments on how you can help #LiftUpWindsorPark. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!