School of Social Welfare to host 'Ain't I a Person' screening Sept. 13
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas School of Social Welfare will host a screening of the documentary "Ain't I a Person" from 4 p.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 13 at Ecumenical Campus Ministries, 1204 Oread Avenue. There will be time at the end of the film to speak with director Keith Kilty.
The focus of the film is the stories of the poor and near-poor about how they manage their lives and families – finding decent housing, finding adequate jobs and pay, dealing with sick children and health problems, finding affordable and quality day care, dealing with the education of their children, getting help when needed – problems that most of us face in society.
Kilty is professor emeritus in the College of Social Work at Ohio State University. He also held a joint appointment with the Department of African-American and African Studies. For more than 30 years, he has been an active member of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, where he served as vice president and chaired the Poverty, Class and Inequality Division. He is also a long-time member and former treasurer of the Social Welfare Action Alliance, a national organization of progressive workers in social welfare. While a faculty member at Ohio State, he was active with the university's chapter of the American Association of University Professors, including serving as vice president, secretary and member of the board.
After retiring in June 2007, he began working on a documentary about poverty and inequality, which was filmed largely in the Cincinnati area. The feature-length documentary,"Ain't I a Person," was completed in March 2011.
"The goal of the documentary is to put a human face back on poverty after 30 years of conservative efforts to demonize the poor in America. How can we have empathy and compassion for the poor without being able to put ourselves into their shoes?" said Kilty.
The event is free and open to the public, and refreshments will be provided. The film runs 1 hour and 40 minutes.
For more information about the film, visit its website.