• Holding Ground

    The Rebirth
    of Dudley Street
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    Synopsis

    Holding Ground is at once a cautionary tale of urban policies gone wrong and a message of hope for all American cities.

    In 1985, African-American, Latino, Cape Verdean, and European-American residents in Roxbury, MA united to revitalize their community. The Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative went on to gain national recognition as residents fought to close down illegal dumps, gain unprecedented control of land from City Hall and create a comprehensive plan to rebuild the fabric of their community. Through the voices of committed residents, activists and city officials, this moving documentary shows how a Boston neighborhood was able to create and carry out its own agenda for change.
    Kudos

    At once a moving history and a hopeful battle-cry…

    Jonathan Kozol, Author, Death at an Early Age, Amazing Grace

    This terrific documentary--at once a moving history and a hopeful battle-cry--tells the story of a grassroots struggle to revitalize an urban neighborhood abandoned by America. The model of inter-ethnic solidarity and effective activism it presents will come like rain in a dry season to communities all over the nation.

    We come away not only with good stories, but hope…

    Henry Hampton, Executive Producer and Creator, Eyes on the Prize

    HOLDING GROUND powerfully captures the high moments and the drudgery of rebuilding communities. The producers have brought a strong and creative touch to their work that will leave the audience with engaging portraits of activists and doers who refuse to give in and do prevail. We come away not only with good stories, but hope. Well done.

    An inspirational image of what the neighborhood was and what, with toil and pride, it is becoming…

    John Koch, The Boston Globe

    Through grass-roots sweat and tears, a group of ordinary people not only fight City Hall, but also persuade it to champion their stubbornly independent, neighborhood-driven approach to urban renewal...[HOLDING GROUND] has cumulative human power and, at the end, an inspirational image of what the neighborhood was and what, with toil and pride, it is becoming.

    Beautifully shot, well researched, intimate and fresh…

    Lillian Jimenez, Director of Media Literacy, Media Network

    Beautifully shot, well researched, intimate and fresh, this film captures the vitality of an empowered community responding to the challenges of disinvestment, cultural differences, drugs and crime, and city politics. Its thematic chapters make wonderful catalysts for discussion.

  • Gaining Ground

    Building Community
    on Dudley Street
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    Synopsis

    Foreclosures. Unemployment. Childhood poverty. All these problems have hit American communities hard during the Great Recession.

    Gaining Ground, a follow-up to the award-winning documentary Holding Ground (1996), shows how one diverse Boston neighborhood has managed to stem the tide against enormous odds. Building on a 25-year legacy of innovative community organizing, a new generation of Dudley Street neighborhood leaders has managed to foster hope and create opportunity in challenging times.
    Kudos

    Gaining Ground shows the potential for change and the possibility for betterment through community activism.

    Jason R. Harshman, Ohio State University, Educational Media Reviews Online

    Gaining Ground shows the potential for change and the possibility for betterment through community activism. As demonstrated by multiple generations of Dudley residents, community activism is not something one does on the weekend or in response to a single event, but is a shared and sustained commitment.

    …inspirational and instructional…

    Joan Pedzich, Library Journal

    Seeing the DSNI stakeholders bringing their projects to fruition makes this documentary an inspirational and instructional tool for anyone working in community development. Of particular interest are the ways in which DSNI involves the next generation of community activists.

    Gaining Ground delivers a powerful and inspiring story of vision and persistence. Highly recommended.

    M. Puffer-Rothenberg, Video Librarian

    In its illustration of how deeply Roxbury’s citizens—particularly youth—are involved in efforts to make their neighborhood safe, provide economic opportunities, and develop abandoned homes or land in ways that will not price out local residents, Gaining Ground delivers a powerful and inspiring story of vision and persistence. Highly recommended.

    If you care about urban neighborhoods, and are desperate for at least an occasional report of good news,  “Gaining Ground” is the film for you.

    Jody Kretzmann, Co-Director, Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute, Northwestern University

    If you care about urban neighborhoods, and are desperate for at least an occasional report of good news, "Gaining Ground" is the film for you...Gaining Ground leads us across the myriad bumps in the road faced by any serious community development organization. But the DSNI experience reminds us in a very powerful way that a combination of commitment, creativity and courage can produce hopeful results in even the most challenging circumstances.

    This inspiring film may spark others to become involved in their community.

    Candace Smith, Booklist

    DSNI proves that politicians and activists can negotiate peacefully and residents can work together for common good to restore neighborhoods...This inspiring film may spark others to become involved in their community.

    A powerful portrait…
    Bring[s] forth “the voice of a community” and demonstrates what can be done when partners come together…

    Mayor Ted Ellis, Bluffton, Indiana, President of the National League of Cities

    The film is a powerful portrait of the challenges faced by the residents of Dudley Street and of the community’s long-term commitment to demand the best and to achieve results. The creators bring forth ‘the voice of a community’ and demonstrate what can be done when partners come together.

    There are lessons in this inspiring film for every local activist, non profit practitioner  urban scholar and city planner…

    John Emmeus Davis, Editor, The Community Land Trust Reader

    Gaining Ground tells the multifaceted story of a dynamic, grassroots organization that has strategically combined community empowerment with community ownership to achieve what is promised by many but delivered by few: equitable development without eventual displacement of a neighborhood’s most vulnerable residents. There are lessons in this inspiring film for every local activist, nonprofit practitioner, urban scholar, and city planner who is looking for new ways to create stable communities in turbulent economic times.

    An inside view of community organizing at its best…

    Barbara Abrash, Director of Public Programs at Center for Media, Culture and History at NYU

    Gaining Ground is an inside view of community organizing at its best. It tells the story of how residents of Roxbury Massachusetts not only revitalized a neighborhood at risk, but nurtured a generation of young leaders and built an organization that continues to sustain a dynamic, fragile community. This inspiring story offers important lessons for urban planners, policy makers, and activists across the country.