We know how special and rare it is to have a freshman roommate become a lifelong best friend. Four years of friendship, five shared bedrooms, eight countries traveled, and 9 classes taken later, and we are ready to take on our next big adventure... making a documentary together.
Our names are Lucy Calderon and Desiree Holz, and we are senior journalism majors at Ithaca College. We have planned to take IC's Documentary Workshop capstone course since our freshman year.
As both avid readers and lovers of libraries, we are creating a short documentary about children's book bans at a public library in Monroe County, New York.
What has happened in Monroe County is important due to its location within a liberal state known for excellence in public education.
We read a Politico newsletter about how the communities struggling with book banning are all "red" states and that New York City is doing good to combat the issue.
Meanwhile, there has been NO state or national coverage of what happened a couple of hours Upstate. We want to change the narrative that this call for book bannings isn’t just happening in "red" states (where it’s expected), but in communities that are known for being liberal leaders of access to healthcare and education. This can happen anywhere. We’re looking to go beyond mainstream media’s coverage and do what they aren’t.
Furthermore, we are looking into the implications that banning children's books has on a child's development.
To make this documentary the best it can be – and good enough to submit to film festivals – we need funding. We will be spending full days in Rochester, New York, which is a 2-hour drive from our Ithaca home. We will also be making trips to New York City (a 4-hour drive) to interview national stakeholders and Indianapolis (a 9-hour drive) to film and interview at the Ray Bradbury Legacy.
Funds raised will be used for gas, food, housing, SD cards, and other things we might need throughout this process. Even $10 will make all the difference!
Please help us make our best friend passion project reach fruition!
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