Thu. September 26, 2024
6:30 PM ET
Free

Screening of To Be Destroyed/It’s Okay

A row of books labeled Banned burns at the top. Text reads Banned Books Week 2024,” “MSNBC Films Presents To Be Destroyed. A sign says Dont Censor America, with the PEN America logo at the bottom right.

Join us for a special screening and panel discussion of MSNBC Films’ To Be Destroyed and It’s Okay.

TO BE DESTROYED follows author Dave Eggers as he meets with students and teachers in the Rapid City, SD school district where his novel, “The Circle”, was pulled from shelves along with works by Alison Bechdel, Stephen Chbosky, Bernardine Evaristo and Imbolo Mbue. Through footage of heated school board meetings, community rallies and interviews with locals, we learn how these books were designated “to be destroyed”. Directed by Arthur Bradford. 31min.

IT’S OKAY: A quiet take on a very noisy subject—the rise of hate and intolerance against the LGBTQIA+ community—as two young brothers observe and absorb their first Drag Story Hour. A refrain of “It’s okay” underscores their experience, and this simple utterance takes on a multitude of meanings in its repetition, from assurance to question, hope to fear. Directed by David France. 11min.