Location: Locations across the conference. See below

Third Quarter focus: Privilege, Power, and Race

Thursday, September 21
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Multiple locations across the conference (see the list below) and via zoom

Cost $5

Meal, presentation by director Frances Causey, and table discussions around privilege, power, and race.

Watch the Recording

We recommend that before attending the event, participants watch the documentary The Long Shadow, directed by Frances Causey. In this documentary, Causey, a filmmaker and investigative journalist, explores the roots of racism and the shameful legacy of American slavery from the founding of America to its insidious ties to racism today. Learn more here.

Thank you to Frances Causey for donating her speaker’s stipend to the local non-profit, Together is Better Alliance (TiBA).

Visit the Long Shadow page   Download the Community Action Guide    View the Long Shadow Additional Resources

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Locations: Meal offerings listed after the location

• Elmhurst: First UMC, 232 S York St, Elmhurst, IL (Soul food)
• Genoa: Faith UMC, 325 S. Scott St., Genoa, IL (Soul food)
• North Central College, Larrance Academic Center, Heininger Auditorium, 309 School St, Naperville, IL (Soul food)
• Northbrook: Northbrook UMC, 1190 Western Avenue, Northbrook, IL (tbd)
• Rockford: Christ UMC, 4509 Highcrest Road, Rockford, IL (Native American salad and other accompanying dishes)
• Schaumburg: Our Saviours UMC, 701 E. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg, IL (Soul food)

Zoom Option

For those unavailable to attend these events, you’re still welcome to participate in the comfort of your home. The presentation and discussion will start at approximately 6:45 pm and will be live on Zoom. A breakout room for further discussion will be available for those participating online after the presenation.

Learn more about the 2023 Film Series

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Meet the Presenter: Director Frances Causey, p.g.a.

"The tragic combination of power, white privilege and racial injustice in the United States continues to exact a deadly toll for African-Americans. Nearly every day there is a headline that reflects this reality. We MUST do better in exposing how intentional and implied bias, dating back centuries in our country, continues to infect the  hearts and minds of far too many Americans. Fix that and you solve so many of America’s most seemingly intractable problems. "

Frances Causey cut her professional teeth in the early days of the world’s first 24-hour news network, CNN. In the trenches at CNN, she met lifelong friends and colleagues who taught her the value of hard work and integrity.  Together, they won National Emmy’s for their live coverage of the Oklahoma City and Olympic Park Bombings.

Frances has been lucky to direct documentaries for television and theatrical release including Heist: Who Stole the American Dream?, The Long Shadow, Is Your Story Making You Sick?, Coronado: The New Evidence and Final Fight: When the Trauma of War Comes Home.

Heist was a New York Times Critic’s Pick and Frances was honored to accept the Women’s International Film and Television Jury Award on behalf of the Heist team. The Long Shadow premiered in theaters across the US in 2018 and aired nationally on PBS. Is Your Story Making You Sick? is currently airing on PBS.

She also loves making films that benefit her local community. Her short film, Ours Is The Land, tells the story of Arizona’s Tohono O’odham Nation’s fight to prevent an open-pit copper mine from desecrating their ancestral lands in southern Arizona. She also directed There’s No Oodham Word for Wall which chronicles the O’odham’s opposition to a fortified international border wall. 

Frances is a member of the Producers Guild of America.