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Herman's House a Film by Angad Singh Bhalla

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Herman's House a Film by Angad Singh Bhalla POV Community Engagement & Education DISCUSSION GUIDE Herman's House A Film by Angad Singh Bhalla www.pbs.org/pov LETTER FROM THE FILMMAKER NEW YORK , 2013 Someone once told me that the key to a good documentary is access. I somehow decided to make a film where I had no ac - cess to one of my main subjects, Herman Wallace, or to my primary location, his prison cell. My naïveté as a first-time film - maker protected me from conventional wisdom, but early on I realized that the whole idea of access would be crucial to the story of a man who has now spent more than four decades in solitary confinement. In another sense, it was having access that led me to this story. I befriended artist Jackie Sumell while we were painting protest signs against the impending Iraq War; I was in college at the time. When she first explained her collaborative art proj - ect with Herman Wallace, it seemed interesting to me. But only later, when I read a book composed of letters she and Wal - lace had written over the years as they went back and forth on what his dream home should look like, did I discover that their powerful exhibit, “The House That Herman Built,” was just the beginning of the story. When I began telling people that I was making a film about a man who has been held in solitary confinement in Louisiana state prisons since 1972, they almost invariably responded, “How is that possible?” And then they asked, “What did he do?” The first question always intrigued me much more. There are courts and judges and wardens who have all facilitated Wallace’s residence in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell for 40 years, but they haven’t really made his incarceration possible. Herman Wallace is one of an estimated 80,000 people being held in solitary confinement in the United States at this moment. So it would be too simple to say that some travesty of justice has made this possible. I do believe that the case of Wallace and the Angola 3 represents a particular travesty: three Black Panthers targeted and framed to quash their dissent. But more than anything, Wallace’s conditions of confinement are a reflection of America’s ongoing addiction to punishment and in - carceration. Wallace and Sumell’s art project beautifully illustrates the contradiction embodied by a country that prides itself on being a land of dreams and opportunity while actually incarcerating more of its own citizens than any other nation on earth. The film begins to answer the question of how this is possible. For a society to abuse such a large segment of its population, it must first dehumanize them. Undocumented workers must become “illegals,” middle-class union workers must become “thugs” and people in prisons must become “convicts.” Herman’s House is an effort to re-humanize at least one person behind bars: Herman Wallace. He is a brother, a mentor, an artistic collaborator and, most importantly for Jackie Sumell, a friend. Their art project creates a safe space for us to exam - ine the racial and class divisions that underlie American justice. My hope is that once we acknowledge that we have been caging at least one human being for decades on end, we can start recognizing the humanity of the other 2.3 million Ameri - cans behind bars and break our addiction to punishment. Angad Singh Bhalla Writer/director, Herman’s House DISCUSSION GUIDE Herman's House |2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CREDITS 2 Letter From the Filmmaker Writer 4 Introduction Faith Rogow, PhD 5 Potential Partners Insighters Educational Consulting 5 Key Issues 5 Using This Guide Guide Producers and Background Research, POV 6 Background Information Eliza Licht 6 About Herman Wallace Vice President, Community Engagement & Education, POV 7 About Jackie Sumell Jamie Dobie 7 The Angola 3 Manager, 8 Solitary Confinement Community Engagement & Education, POV and the U.S. Prison System Elana Meyers 9 General Discussion Questions Luke McCord 10 Discussion Prompts Interns, Community Engagement & Education, POV 12 Taking Action Design: 13 Resources Rafael Jiménez 16 How to Buy the Film Eyeball Copy Editor: Natalie Danford Thanks to those who reviewed this guide: Angela A. Allen-Bell Assistant Professor of Legal Writing and Analysis Southern University Law Center Melissa Farling Research Associate Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture Raphael Sperry Soros Justice Fellow Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility DISCUSSION GUIDE Herman's House |3 INTRODUCTION New Orleans native and former Black Panther Herman Wal - Sumell’s query led to hundreds of letters and phone calls be - lace went to jail in 1967 at age 25 for a robbery he admits tween her and Wallace. The first formal expression of that committing. In 1972, he was accused of the murder of a question and the answers to it was the art installation “The prison guard, a crime he vehemently denies, and placed in House That Herman Built,” which made its debut in Germany solitary confinement in a 6-foot-by-9-foot cell in the in 2006. It featured a full-scale wooden model of Wallace’s Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola. Wallace cell, in which gallery attendees were encouraged to spend was subsequently convicted and given a life sentence. Fel - time, and detailed plans for Wallace’s dream home, which low Black Panther Albert Woodfox was also placed in soli - showed that his spirit remained strong. When the show hit tary and then convicted of the same guard’s murder. A third London in 2008, Robert King, the former Black Panther, Panther, Robert King, was placed in solitary at that time, but asked Sumell if she had expected her communications with eventually convicted of a different murder. Together the Wallace to lead to such a celebrated art project. “No way. three men became famous as the “Angola 3.” . It was just a game between me and Herman . my way of getting Herman out of Angola.” Introducing that exhibit, she Except for a brief period, Wallace has remained in solitary says, “I’m not a lawyer and I’m not rich and I’m not powerful, confinement 23 hours a day for 40 years, and he has never but I’m an artist . and I knew the only way I could get [Wal - stopped protesting and appealing his murder conviction. lace] out of prison was to get him to dream.” Over the years, as doubts about the men’s guilt accumu - lated—King was freed in 2001, and in February of this year a The film asks viewers to consider the bonds between those judge ordered the release of Woodfox—concern has also inside and outside of prison walls. Just as the art installation grown over the fact that Wallace and an estimated 80,000 brought thousands of gallery visitors around the world face- other prisoners in the United States are being subjected to to-face with the harsh realities of the American prison sys - solitary confinement. tem, Herman’s House provides viewers with a chance to examine the meaning and intention of “cruel and unusual In 2002, Wallace received a letter that asked an extraordi - punishments.” It also offers a window into the role of imagi - nary question. Jackie Sumell, a young New York artist, wrote, nation and creativity in responding to injustice. “What kind of house does a man who has lived in a 6-foot- by-9-foot cell for over 30 years dream of?” DISCUSSION GUIDE Herman's House |4 POTENTIAL PARTNERS KEY ISSUES Herman’s House is well suited for use in a variety of set - Herman’s House is an excellent tool for outreach and tings and is especially recommended for use with: will be of special interest to people looking to explore the following topics: • Your local PBS station • Groups that have discussed previous PBS and POV • Angola (Louisiana State Penitentiary) films relating to prisons, criminal justice and • Angola 3 human rights, including Give Up Tomorrow, The • Architecture Legacy, What I Want My Words To Do To You, • Art and politics Prison Town, USA and Omar & Pete • Black Panther Party • Groups focused on any of the issues listed in the Key Issues section • Criminal justice • High school students, youth groups and clubs • Due process in prison • Faith-based organizations and institutions • Eighth Amendment in prison • Cultural, art and historical organizations, • Human rights institutions and museums, including groups • Law focused on architecture and art for social justice • New Orleans • Civic, fraternal and community groups • Prison architecture • Academic departments and student groups at • Prison reform colleges, universities, professional schools and • Solitary confinement high schools • Community organizations with a mission to promote education and learning, such as local libraries USING THIS GUIDE This guide is an invitation to dialogue. It is based on a belief in the power of human connection, designed for people who want to use Herman’s House to engage family, friends, classmates, colleagues and communities. In contrast to initiatives that foster debates in which participants try to convince others that they are right, this document envisions conversa - tions undertaken in a spirit of openness in which people try to understand one another and expand their thinking by shar - ing viewpoints and listening actively. The discussion prompts are intentionally crafted to help a wide range of audiences think more deeply about the issues in the film. Rather than attempting to address them all, choose one or two that best meet your needs and interests. And be sure to leave time to consider taking action. Planning next steps can help people leave the room feeling energized and optimistic, even in instances when conversations have been difficult.
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