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October 12, 2004
Davis Enterprise
Those who haven't read "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" by Anna Deavere Smith may want to pick up a copy to take part in the third annual Campus Community Book Project, which kicks off this month.
The book project encourages everyone at UC Davis and in the surrounding community to read and discuss the same book and participate in related events.
The project started in 2002 with "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," a story about a Hmong family's struggles with one daughter's illness and the American medical system as told to former journalist Anne Fadiman. This book was followed by "Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution" by Mark Juergensmeyer in 2003.
"Twilight," this year's selection, is about the Los Angeles riots in 1992 following the Rodney King verdict. King, a black man, was severely beaten by four white Los Angeles police officers in the spring of 1991. A nearby resident videotaped the beating from the balcony of his apartment, and when the video was broadcast on national television, there was an immediate outcry from the community.
In April 1992, the police officers were acquitted, and Los Angeles exploded. "Three days of burning, looting and killing scarred Los Angeles and captured the attention of the world," Smith writes.
Smith interviewed nearly 200 people about the riots and wrote her book as a script, which she has brought to life as a one-woman play based on several of the characters.
Smith, an actress, educator and playwright, is perhaps best known for her role as the national security adviser on popular television show the "West Wing." She has also been in movies including "The American President" starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening.
The book project's kickoff event will bring community members together to share personal stories about their experiences in L.A. during the aftermath of the King verdict. The gathering is planned from noon to 2 p.m. Monday in Memorial Union II at UC Davis.
A long list of discussion groups, film screenings, workshops and other events are planned throughout the next few months, including a lecture by the author-actress at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts at UCD.
During her appearance, part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, Smith will discuss "Twilight" and its central issues, and will perform some of the characters in the book. Tickets, available through the Mondavi Center box office, range from $26 to $36 for the general public and $13 to $18 for students and children.
Karen Roth, coordinator of the Diversity Education Program in Campus Community Relations, said "Twilight" was selected for its creative format and because it will provide an opportunity to talk about issues of social justice and economic disparity in the community in response to "several very public hate crimes that have occurred."
Roth said she hopes the book will lead to discussions about what kind of community residents want and how to reach that goal.
Announcing the book choice to the UCD campus last winter, Virginia Hinshaw, provost and executive vice chancellor, and Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor of campus community relations, said Smith's "work portrays the varied facets of this complex societal issue and takes a piercing look at the consequences of police brutality, community segregation and economic disparity."
Hinshaw and Reed said the book "offers us an opportunity to engage in a rich dialogue on the causes and effects on a community of unchecked prejudice and injustice. As our campus and surrounding community struggle to respond to hate crimes and other bias-related incidents, this book offers insight into the importance of weaving together a stronger, more vital connection among our campus and community residents."
Friday, October 8, 2004
Printer Friendly LayoutDavis Enterprise
Community Book Project kicks off this month
By Sharon Stello/Enterprise staff writerThose who haven't read "Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992" by Anna Deavere Smith may want to pick up a copy to take part in the third annual Campus Community Book Project, which kicks off this month.
The book project encourages everyone at UC Davis and in the surrounding community to read and discuss the same book and participate in related events.
The project started in 2002 with "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down," a story about a Hmong family's struggles with one daughter's illness and the American medical system as told to former journalist Anne Fadiman. This book was followed by "Gandhi's Way: A Handbook of Conflict Resolution" by Mark Juergensmeyer in 2003.
"Twilight," this year's selection, is about the Los Angeles riots in 1992 following the Rodney King verdict. King, a black man, was severely beaten by four white Los Angeles police officers in the spring of 1991. A nearby resident videotaped the beating from the balcony of his apartment, and when the video was broadcast on national television, there was an immediate outcry from the community.
In April 1992, the police officers were acquitted, and Los Angeles exploded. "Three days of burning, looting and killing scarred Los Angeles and captured the attention of the world," Smith writes.
Smith interviewed nearly 200 people about the riots and wrote her book as a script, which she has brought to life as a one-woman play based on several of the characters.
Smith, an actress, educator and playwright, is perhaps best known for her role as the national security adviser on popular television show the "West Wing." She has also been in movies including "The American President" starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening.
The book project's kickoff event will bring community members together to share personal stories about their experiences in L.A. during the aftermath of the King verdict. The gathering is planned from noon to 2 p.m. Monday in Memorial Union II at UC Davis.
A long list of discussion groups, film screenings, workshops and other events are planned throughout the next few months, including a lecture by the author-actress at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 in the Mondavi Center for Performing Arts at UCD.
During her appearance, part of the Distinguished Speakers Series, Smith will discuss "Twilight" and its central issues, and will perform some of the characters in the book. Tickets, available through the Mondavi Center box office, range from $26 to $36 for the general public and $13 to $18 for students and children.
Karen Roth, coordinator of the Diversity Education Program in Campus Community Relations, said "Twilight" was selected for its creative format and because it will provide an opportunity to talk about issues of social justice and economic disparity in the community in response to "several very public hate crimes that have occurred."
Roth said she hopes the book will lead to discussions about what kind of community residents want and how to reach that goal.
Announcing the book choice to the UCD campus last winter, Virginia Hinshaw, provost and executive vice chancellor, and Rahim Reed, associate executive vice chancellor of campus community relations, said Smith's "work portrays the varied facets of this complex societal issue and takes a piercing look at the consequences of police brutality, community segregation and economic disparity."
Hinshaw and Reed said the book "offers us an opportunity to engage in a rich dialogue on the causes and effects on a community of unchecked prejudice and injustice. As our campus and surrounding community struggle to respond to hate crimes and other bias-related incidents, this book offers insight into the importance of weaving together a stronger, more vital connection among our campus and community residents."
Friday, October 8, 2004