By: TFN Staff
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The Funders’ Network is proud to feature Decade of Fire at this year’s Sunday Night at the Movies on March 17, kicking off TFN’s 20th Anniversary Conference: Power Forward in Miami. |
Throughout the 1970’s, an epidemic of fires consumed the South Bronx, reducing entire blocks to rubble, covering neighborhoods in a permanent haze of smoke and destroying 80 percent of the area’s housing stock. Black and Puerto Rican residents were blamed for the devastation even as they battled to save their neighborhoods. Decades later, Bronx-born filmmaker Vivian Vazquez set out to pursue the truth, uncovering policies of racism and neglect that still shape our cities. The resulting documentary,
Presented in partnership with the Wyncote Foundation and The Kendeda Fund, our Sunday Night at the Movies will include a screening of the film as well as a conversation with Vazquez. She’ll join us in Miami to discuss the film, which confronts the racially charged stereotypes that dehumanized residents of the South Bronx in the 1970’s, and rationalized their abandonment by city, state and federal governments. “Growing up in the South Bronx, I often heard that we, the blacks and Puerto Ricans, do not know how to take care of our neighborhoods. That we are to blame for its problems, the reason our neighborhoods turned to rubble and ruin,” said Vazquez, whose film recalls how her neighbors came together to resist – and rebuild. “Now, I am sharing their stories, for the sake of people who work for justice today.” |
As communities across the United States face the increasing threats of displacement and gentrification, Vazquez and the team behind Decade of Firehope the stories told in the film have resonance beyond the Bronx: shedding light on the systemic practices and beliefs that are at the root of these housing issues, while showing how communities can generate solutions from within. |
“These unsung heroes put everything on the line to keep their blocks and neighborhoods intact. I want to let the world know what they did, how they did it and why it means everything to us today.” Go deeper: NPR’s Latino USA recently featured Decade of Fire. Check out the full story here. Sunday Night at the Movies, presented in partnership with the Wyncote Foundation and The Kendeda Fund, takes place at 6:30 p.m. March 17 as part of TFN’s 20th Anniversary Conference: Power Forward. Join us for pizza, popcorn and other movie-friendly treats. The event is included in your conference registration – no additional RSVP needed. |
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About Our Conference |
Our VenueTFN’s 2019 Anniversary Conference: Power Forward takes place March 18-20 at the Miami Marriott Biscayne Bay, located in Downtown Miami across the bay from South Beach and a short hop to neighborhoods like Wynwood and Little Haiti. Call 1-800-295-1421 for reservations and mention the FUNDERS’ NETWORK to receive the conference rate of $229 plus tax per night. Or you can book online here. |
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Join us for TFN’s 20th Anniversary Conference in Miami, March 18-20, to explore how we can turn ideals into action. Our conference theme: Power Forward, a call to action for philanthropy to leverage the sector’s collective power to create communities and regions that are truly sustainable and just — work that has taken on new urgency as we face increasingly challenging times. |
RegistrationEarly Bird registration ends Feb. 15! Registration is open to donors, staff, directors, and trustees of all grantmaking institutions. Visit our Power Forward webpage for more information. |
