An illuminating account of events too often relegated to footnotes in U.S. history - the Black urban rebellions of the 1960's.
REVOLUTION '67 focuses on the explosive urban rebellion in Newark, New Jersey, in July 1967, to reveal the long-standing racial, economic, and political forces which generated inner city poverty and perpetuate it today. Newark residents, police, officials, and urban commentators, including writer/activist Amiri Baraka, journalist Bob Herbert, prominent historians, and '60s activist Tom Hayden, recount the vivid, day-to-day details of the uprising.
But they also trace those traumatic days back to decades of industrial decline, unemployment, job and housing discrimination, federal programs favoring suburbs over cities, police impunity, political corruption, and a costly, divisive overseas war. Americans should not have been surprised when race wars exploded, turning cities into combat zones, bringing Vietnam back home.
"Here in Newark, we partnered with REVOLUTION '67 to bring this insightful documentary to our community." - Cory A. Booker, Mayor of Newark, NJ
"REVOLUTION '67 accurately and effectively captures the mood, the pain, the loss, the ambiguity, the fear and the continuing impact of the violent unrest of the summer of 1967."- Lonnie G. Bunch, Founding Director, Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture
"A powerful film which provides a comprehensive analysis of the events in Newark. It defines the impact of numerous planning decisions at the local, state and federal levels, and the outcome of discriminatory practices in the real estate and finance industries. Should be mandatory viewing for anyone affiliated with Urban Studies or working in the field of Planning." - Brenda Kayzar, Urban Studies Program, Department of Geography, University of Minnesota