THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Last week The Washington Post featured Bring It to The Table, citing our mission to "set out on a cross-country journey to meet people of different ideologies to practice civil discourse and discuss divisive social issues."

Bring It to The Table has played a critical role in teaching civil discourse and inspiring civic engagement in communities across the country for nearly four years. Since November 2016, our documentary film and Live Table Talks program has become more relevant than ever. READ ON:

FILM SYNOPSIS: In 2012, filmmaker Julie Winokur's 17-year-old son called her "the most intolerant person" he knew. The accusation stopped Winokur in her tracks. She realized that she had been called out on something that many Americans refuse to recognize: that we all contribute to divisive politics in America when we rely on assumptions rather than discourse. In fact, Winokur realized that she was as much to blame for the divisive tone of politics as the people whom she blamed. Rather than continuing to be part of the problem, she decided to become part of the solution. Recognizing that it would be difficult to get people of different political persuasions around her own kitchen table, Winokur decided to bring her table to them. On a personal sojourn to unravel divisive politics in America, Winokur and her crew visited bookstores and barbershops, public parks and county fairs, Baptist churches and college campuses, inviting people to sit down and discuss the roots of their political beliefs. The result is the provocative, insightful, extremely relevant Bring It to The Table documentary, which is as much about listening as it is about politics, perspectives and personal reflexes.

CENTER ON HALSTED LIVE TABLE TALKS EVENT: This event will begin with a screening of the 45 minute documentary film and be followed immediately by Live Table Talks. The Live Table Talks engage the audience directly by calling upon them to discuss the sources of their political beliefs at The Table. Many audience members will then engage throughout the evening addressing various issues related to hate crimes, bullying, equal marriage, LGBTQ rights, immigration and other hot button topics of the day. Audience members engage with Winokur, their own friends and strangers, all in an effort to refine their listening skills and sharpen their debate tool kit. The evening will generate laughter, tears, frustration, resolve, hope, empathy, compassion and community.

ABOUT JULIE WINOKUR:

Julie Winokur, Executive Director of Talking Eyes Media, has been a storyteller for over two decades, first as a magazine writer and then as a documentary filmmaker. She launched Talking Eyes in 2002 to create visual media that catalyzes positive social change. Her work has appeared on PBS, the Documentary Channel, MediaStorm, National Geographic Magazine and Discovery online, as well as in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times Magazine, The Washington Post, and on MSNBC.com . Beyond broadcast and publication, Winokur works extensively with nonprofit organizations to develop their message and put Talking Eyes' films to work at the grassroots level. She is also on the faculty of the International Center of Photography and teaches frequently. Her multimedia series about her father's dementia garnered international acclaim and the book Aging in America, which she produced with her husband, remains one of the most intimate and raw documentary portrayals of growing old in America. In addition to Bring It to the Table, current projects include Newest Americans, an ongoing series about immigration that includes Hijabi World, a film about Muslim women which appeared in The New York Times and has been seen by nearly two million people. Winokur is the creative and life partner of photojournalist Ed Kashi and the mother of two college-aged children.

Learn more about the National Table Talks Tour on our website: bringit2thetable.org/ .

View the Trailer: vimeo.com/59757642 .

View select Table Talks: BringIt2TheTable.org .

View the National Live Table Talks Schedule: bringit2thetable.org/screenings .