COMMUNITY PARTNER TOOLKIT PROMOTION & SOCIAL MEDIA
Dear Partner Organization,
THANK YOU!
Your support of Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race will make it possible for many more Americans to see this important and timely film on PBS, as part of public television’s national celebration of Black History Month.
Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race offers an engaging portrait of America’s first big-city black mayor who broke through racial, political and social barriers in Los Angeles 35 years before President Obama made similar achievements on the national level.
Why support Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race on PBS?
• As we draw near to the end of the historic Barack Obama presidency, many challenges and divisions in our country remain. What will be the legacy of America’s first African American president? There are lessons from the past: before Barack Obama became president, Tom Bradley was elected mayor of Los Angeles, America’s first black mayor of a major city elected by an overwhelmingly white population.
• As the Black Lives Matter movement continues to resonate in many American communities and spark needed discussion about racial injustice and police brutality, there are lessons from recent history that can enhance our understanding of these critical social dynamics. Mayor Tom Bradley confronted police abuse and misconduct in minority communities in LA 40 years ago, and eventually brought about reform within the LAPD, building on his tenure as a police officer.
• As we delve deeper into the first post-Obama election cycle, the experience of Tom Bradley in Los Angeles shows that the tactics of division and fear have deep roots in electoral politics: Mayor Sam Yorty (Bradley’s predecessor and opponent) used race and fear as weapons against Bradley in the 1969 mayoral election, but Bradley prevailed and made history in 1973 when he was elected of Los Angeles.
• As we learn about Tom Bradley’s election and tenure as mayor, we can see the importance of coalitions as a means to bridge racial divides and bring about change.
• Because we’ll give you a DVD of the film for free!
This brief guide will provide clear and simple ways for your organization to support the PBS broadcast of Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race.
Your support in helping to bring attention to this important and relevant PBS film will add to the national conversations on race, power, leadership and democracy already underway in our country. Thank you!
In addition, your help will earn you one copy of the film (on DVD) to screen in your workplace or community!
What you can do to support the PBS Broadcast of Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race? Three simple steps earn you a DVD for your organization:
1. Write about it on your website and/or blog
a. Put an item in the news section of your website, on your blog, or add a small feature to another appropriate page on your site. Include the short program description, an image (both available at the end of this guide) and any other information relevant to your users. b. Use the link below to find broadcast dates and times in your area on PBS: http://www.pbssocal.org/tv/programs/bridging-the-divide-tom-bradley-politics- of-race/ c. Link to the program’s companion page on PBS.org: http://www.pbs.org/show/bridging-divide-tom-bradley-and-politics-race/ d. Remember to include that the film is available for FREE on PBS.org via streaming video for the entire month of February, in celebration of Black History Month!
2. Post about the film on social media
a. Use the resources above to create a post for Facebook and/or Twitter. b. Use the specially designed social media images in the back of this guide to anchor your post. c. Remember to include #mayortombradley and @mayortombradley (Facebook) and @TomBradleyDoc (Twitter) in your posts and tweets! d. Consider using the discussion questions on page 4 to start a conversation online.
3. Include a brief item about the film in your e-mail newsletter(s)
a. Use the resources above to create a small item for your electronic newsletter, printed newsletter or e-mail blast (any that may be going out before February 29, 2016). b. Include links (or printed references) to the program page on PBS.org and to the social media pages for the film (in 1c. and 2c. above). c. Include any of the images in the back of this guide. If you need higher resolution images for your project, just e-mail us at: [email protected]
4. Receive your FREE DVD copy of the film to screen at your organization!
a. Send us screen shots of your social media posts, website mentions and/or newsletter clips to [email protected] by February 29, 2016 and we will send you one DVD copy of the film FREE OF CHARGE. This is a $150 value! b. Use your organization’s DVD copy of Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race for a lunchtime or afternoon screening* for employees and volunteers in your organization. Or consider holding a community screening for your neighbors and friends.*
You could also consider gathering a few people together to watch the broadcast on your local PBS station. However you choose to watch the film, think about the discussion questions posed below and engage your fellow viewers in conversation and debate!
*The right to screen the film in your private home or workplace for individual or group use is included with the DVD. The right to present a public screening in a community or neighborhood setting is granted UNTIL MARCH 31, 2016. After that date, additional screening rights can be acquired from the producers for a fee.
Digital Access to the Film:
Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race will be available via streaming video at PBS.org for the entire month of February**.
**The film will also be available on PBS’s mobile apps and Roku channel for the same period.
Questions for Thought and Discussion
Consider using these questions as topics for your social media posts, as guideposts for screening and discussion of the film, or as food for thought as you further explore the legacy of Mayor Tom Bradley.
1. Why do you think Los Angeles was able to elect an African American mayor before so many other large cities (even ones with larger African American populations)?
2. What does it mean to have a coalition and how do you think it helped Tom Bradley bring about change in Los Angeles and in politics in America?
3. After watching the film, what do you think is most important about Mayor Tom Bradley’s legacy?
4. Do you think the political antics of Sam Yorty would be accepted today? Why or why not? Do you see any parallels between Sam Yorty’s tactics and those being used by candidates today?
5. Tom Bradley was mayor of Los Angeles for 20 years. His tenure began shortly after the Watts rebellion of 1965, and ended shortly after the 1992 civil unrest, sparked by the beating of motorist Rodney King and the subsequent verdict acquitting the LAPD officers. What lessons, if any, can we learn from this important period in the history of race relations in Los Angeles?
6. Tom Bradley worked hard to confront police brutality and misconduct in Los Angeles, which remained intractable for years, and culminated in disturbing police failures during the civil unrest in 1992. Given the examples from Los Angeles, how have the basic problems and challenges changed with respect to policing and race, and how have they remained the same?
7. On balance, do you think it would be easier or more difficult for an African American man or woman to be elected mayor of a major city today than it was for Tom Bradley in 1973? Why? Do you think Tom Bradley could win if he ran today?
8. How do you think that leaders like Tom Bradley or Barack Obama, who overcame important barriers including bridging a broad racial divide, contributed to our overall understanding of race in America?
Resources and Materials
Contact information:
Film Homepage: www.mayortombradley.com
PBS Homepage: http://www.pbs.org/show/bridging-divide-tom-bradley-and-politics-race/
For more information on the film, contact the producers at:
OUR L.A. Lyn Goldfarb / [email protected] Alison Sotomayor / [email protected]
Film Descriptions:
Short description:
Thirty-five years before President Barack Obama, Tom Bradley became the first black mayor elected in a major U.S. city with an overwhelmingly white majority, united a divided city through a unique multi-racial coalition, ushered in police reform, and transformed American politics.
Longer description:
Thirty-five years before President Barack Obama, there was Mayor Tom Bradley. Questions of racial and ethnic barriers to elected office were put to the test in 1973, when Los Angeles elected the nation’s first black Mayor of a major city – and with an overwhelmingly white majority.
Tom Bradley’s extraordinary racial coalition redefined Los Angeles and transformed the national dialogue on race and encouraged elections of minority candidates nationwide, including our nation’s first black president. Bradley was also among the first to confront police abuse in minority communities and encounter the difficulties of police reform.
Watch Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race on PBS, coming February 2016.
Sample Social Media Posts:
Use the following three created images to anchor your social media post about Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race.
Use screen grabs right from the document, or find these images on our Facebook feed @MayorTomBradley, or on Twitter @TomBradleyDoc.
E-mail us at [email protected] for a jpeg file.
Social Media Image 1.
Social Media Image 2.
Social Media Image 3.
Photos:
Use the following approved promotional images to anchor your social media post about Bridging the Divide: Tom Bradley and the Politics of Race.
Use screen grabs right from the document, or find these images on our Facebook feed @MayorTomBradley, or on Twitter @TomBradleyDoc.
E-mail us at [email protected] for a jpeg file.
Chief Daryl Gates and Mayor Tom Bradley, 1981 - Photo credit to the Los Angeles Public Library Sgt. Bradley promoted to LAPD Lieutenant, 1958 - Photo credit to California African American Museum
L.A. City Councilman Tom Bradley campaigning for Los Angeles mayor in 1973 - Photo credit to the Bradley being congratulated by family upon winning mayoral election - May 30, 1973 - Photo Tom & Ethel Bradley Center, CSUN credit to the Los Angeles Times Collection at UCLA Special
Mayor Tom Bradley waving the Olympic flag during the L.A. Summer Olympics, 1984 - Photo credit Mayor-elect Tom Bradley shaking hands at mayoral victory celebration, May 30, 1973 - Photo to the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA credit to the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCLA
Bradley Portrait in office in 70s - Photo credit to the Tom Bradley Family Mayor Tom Bradley - Photo credit to the Tom Bradley Legacy Foundation at UCL
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