Our America: Documentaries in Dialogue

Sponsored by the Open Society Foundations, POV launched “Our America: Documentary in Dialogue” as a response to growing political and regional division in the wake of the 2016 election. The national screening series invited PBS stations to use our catalog of over 200 titles to delve into growing concerns in their communities. The main objective: to expand the mission of public media as a trusted resource for local communities and spark meaningful dialogue through events that serve audiences with different views and backgrounds.During our pilot year, we worked with stations based in America’s heartland: Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska. These Midwestern communities, often far from the national spotlight, selected titles about divisive topics that resonated with their communities, including police militarization, race relations and educational equity. To complement each screening, stations partnered with community organizations to build rich event experiences for attendees including panel discussions that provided a local perspective on the issues presented.

The pilot year was a resounding success, with an overwhelming response that these “community-first” screenings and conversations must continue. Direct funding allowed stations to address local barriers to attendance, like providing childcare or transportation to increase participation. Stations also indicated they would continue working with the local advocacy groups, making it a particular point to note that they found the pilot model both easy to implement and incredibly supportive.While the first year primarily focused on rural and non-coastal communities, we received interest from the broader PBS station network. 

[T]he main question we fielded from attendees across the demographic spectrum was this: ‘You guys are going to keep doing these, right?’ These events have really made an impact, and hopefully created a model for us statewide.
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– Carol Griskavich, Wisconsin Public Television

In 2018, we launched a sister initiative “POV Presents” as a city-focused corollary to “Our America.” In addition to partners in Missouri and Tennessee, we hosted events in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York City and expanded the hyper-local model to address challenges distinct to marginalized communities within major cities. We received positive feedback across the board but recognized the two programs caused some among stations and funders, as well as logistical challenges with limited staff capacity.

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Minding The Gap protagonist Keire Johnson joins Rockland youth in conversation

In 2019, we combined sponsored community screenings under a unified "Our America" umbrella and focused on youth outreach and immigration, especially in areas hit hard by economic divestment and deportations. Teaming up with local nonprofits, we continued to emphasize events that spur action and reflection on issues that mattered to local partners. We increased screenings across the country in states like Arizona and Wisconsin, holding them in schools, with arts programs, and at station headquarters. Our learnings and the relationships built over the past three years have been instrumental in shaping strategic shifts in our approach to engagement and impact activities today.

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Pilot Station Partners:

• Arizona PBS (Arizona)
• Nebraska Educational Television (Omaha, NE)
• Nine Network (St. Louis, MO)
• NPT (Nashville, TN)
• PBS SoCal, Los Angeles, CA
• WDCQ (Flint, MI)
• WHUT (Washington, D.C.)
• WHYY (Philadelphia, PA)
• WNET (New York)
• WPT (Madison, WI)
• WTTW (Chicago, IL)

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Masthead

• Asad Muhammad, VP of Engagement & Impact Strategy
• Robert Salyer, Manager of Outreach & Impact
• Gina Basso, Communication and Stations Relations Manager
• Claire Epstein, Outreach Coordinator
• Rachel Lu, POV Engage Intern

Major Funders

This program was made possible by PBS, the Open Society Foundations, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Park Foundation, and Perspective Fund. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Sage Foundation, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.

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