Downloads: Press Release

In latest installment, ‘Intersection of I,’ Dallas Millennials share their views on race

When award-winning filmmaker Whitney Dow launched Whiteness Project: Inside the White/Caucasian Box on POV Digital in late 2014, the interactive investigation filmed in Buffalo, N.Y. made a huge splash, attracting 1.5 million viewers and sparking conversations in the community and across social and traditional media about what it means to be white in America. To encourage fresh debate and dialogue, Dow has just released a second Whiteness Project installment, Intersection of I, produced in association with American Documentary | POV, that examines how millennials in Dallas who identify as white experience their race.

Thanks to a $20,000 grant from The Fledgling Fund, Whiteness Project’s Intersection of I will further engage audiences through educational outreach and social media. Fledgling support will help implement a wide digital campaign that will leverage mobile web video, social media, classroom guides and community partnerships to find new ways to reach millennials and the general public via documentary exploration.

Filmed during the summer of 2015, Whiteness Project’s Intersection of I is a collection of 23 interviews with millennials ages 15-27 from varied socioeconomic backgrounds, and with a variety of ethnicities, sexual orientations and gender identities. Interviewees were asked to discuss their relationship to, and share their understanding of, their own whiteness, and consider how it intersects with the different parts of their identity. Each video interview is followed by a statistic that adds context and provides opportunities for reflection by viewers. Intersection of I can also be experienced at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival’s Storyscapes through April 17, 2016.

With the Fledgling grant, Whiteness Project’s Intersection of I will create short-form multimedia content-shareable video clips, GIFs, memes and data-that will be tailored to established and emerging social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Medium. In addition, POV will support the creation of secondary and high school curriculum resources and an interactive youth workshop for schools nationwide.

“Fledgling is thrilled to support the Whiteness Project through our Special Initiative,” said Sheila Leddy, the Fund’s executive director. “We believe this incredibly timely project is poised for impact. It not only has strong storytelling but a thoughtful and smart plan for reaching and engaging audiences around the critical issues of race and identity.”

“We’re always looking for ways to create conversations on new platforms, and this critical support from Fledgling will allow POV and the Whiteness Project to explore these avenues further,” said Adnaan Wasey, executive producer of POV Digital. “Intersection of I has the advantage of living online; people can go directly to the project anytime and engage with it. That presents an ideal opportunity for us to find out how Americans are feeling about race today.”

Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Medium with #WhitenessProject. For more information and to engage with Whiteness Project’s Intersection of I, visit www.whitenessproject.org.

About The Fledgling Fund
The Fledgling Fund is a private foundation driven by the belief that powerful visual stories can spur action around issues that affect the most vulnerable. Through its grant program, lab, and special initiatives, its goal is to support and deepen the role of documentary film and other forms of visual storytelling in larger social change efforts. www.thefledglingfund.org

About American Documentary, Inc.
American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia arts organization dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation. AmDoc is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. www.amdoc.org

About POV Digital
Since 1994, POV Digital has driven new storytelling initiatives and interactive production for POV. The department created PBS’s first program website and its first web-based documentary (POV’s Borders) and has won major awards, including a Webby Award (and six nominations) and an Online News Association Award. POV Digital continues to explore the future of independent nonfiction media through its digital productions and the POV Hackathon lab, where media makers and technologists collaborate to re-invent storytelling forms. www.pbs.org/pov

About POV
POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives. www.pbs.org/pov

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding comes from Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Bertha Foundation, Wyncote Foundation, The Fledgling Fund, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Ettinger Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, 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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POV Pressroom
Produced by American Documentary, Inc., POV is public television’s premier showcase for nonfiction films. Since 1988, POV has been the home for the world’s boldest contemporary filmmakers, celebrating intriguing personal stories that spark conversation and inspire action. Always an innovator, POV discovers fresh new voices and creates interactive experiences that shine a light on social issues and elevate the art of storytelling. With our documentary broadcasts, original online programming and dynamic community engagement campaigns, we are committed to supporting films that capture the imagination and present diverse perspectives.