Independent Radical Publishing
Independent Radical Publishing
Wed, 26 Jun 2019, 17:30
Open Society Foundations, New York (USA), Open Society Foundations, 224 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, United States of America
Launch event in New York, USA
The Open Society Foundations Global Drug Policy Program and Open Society-U.S. present a screening and discussion of the new Netflix film, The Grass is Greener. This documentary, directed by artist Fab 5 Freddy, traces the inextricable ties between cannabis criminalization and racial injustice in the United States, alongside stories about the influence of cannabis in black American musical culture. The film features a number of voices that speak to the painful and complex legacy of the war on drugs, and how it translates to today’s movement towards a legal cannabis industry.
Following the screening, we’ll have a dynamic discussion with leading advocates and activists from around the world whose work focuses on the intersection of race and drug policies. The film will serve as a starting point to discuss how prohibitionist policies have historically been used as tools to suppress and marginalize racial minorities and how that manifests in today’s society. The speakers will also share what positive policy reforms could look like and how we can address these injustices.
The doors will open at 5 p.m. and the screening will begin at 5:30 p.m. A brief reception will follow the program.
Kojo Koram is a writer and Lecturer at the School of Law at Birkbeck College, University of London, and is editor of The War on Drugs and the Global Colour Line (Pluto Press 2019).
Kassandra Frederique is the New York state director of the Drug Policy Alliance.
Jessica Nunes is a filmmaker, human rights activist, and co-founder of Movimentos, a collective of young favela-based activists from Rio de Janeiro devoted to changing Brazilian drug policies.
Mame Bougouma Diene is a program officer with the Open Society Global Drug Policy Program.
