Originally, today was going to be post #5 of my Mini-Memoir of Resistance. It included the link to this film. But I decided to interrupt myself and give you this as a stand-alone. Tomorrow I’ll write about how Mitch became a mentor and helped us win our fight against City Hall.
This film, a 1988 PBS documentary, is about an hour long. It’s so worth your time. From Internet Archive: “Promises to Keep documents the four-year struggle of Mitch Snyder and the Community for Creative Non-Violence (CCNV) to create a model shelter for the homeless in Washington, D.C.” The familiar voice narrating the film is Martin Sheen.
Mitch and his partner, Carol Fennelly* carried on many years of civil disobedience campaigns while they provided shelter. They had an enormous impact on the cause, leading to major federal legislation, still in effect, that helped millions of people. Including more than 1,000 in the nonprofit my then-husband and I started.
Logistics for watching:
Promises to Keep – https://archive.org/details/promisestokeep_201706 –
The film isn’t available on streaming services or to purchase on DVD. It has been saved at this website. It streams in two parts. When you click on the link above, you’ll see this. Be sure to click the top reel (shown here in blue at the bottom of the screen) first. There is a icon on the right side of the screen, four arrows pointing away from each other, that allows you to bring the film to full screen.
I hope you’ll watch it, and I’d love to hear what you think.
*I worked as a grant writer for the past 13 years with Carol in her role as founder and director of Hope House, a program that connected fathers in prison with their kids. We’ve become close friends.
