April 27, 7:15-9:30pm NOTE TIME CHANGE
Fireside Room, Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto, 505 E. Charleston, Palo Alto
All ages welcome! FREE, Donations appreciated.

April Fourth Friday will take a close look at direct climate action — how activists are putting themselves on the line and turning up the heat to fight climate change.

• THE RELUCTANT RADICAL is a documentary about climate activist Ken Ward, who turned to civil disobedience after working within environmental organizations for many years. (Scroll down for more about the film and for a link to the trailer.)
• ARRESTABLE is a short video that follows activists in Seattle as they prepare for civil disobedience to urge local banks to stop funding fossil fuel companies.

We’re pleased to welcome the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center and 350 Silicon Valley as co-sponsors. We’ll include some time to discuss the films and share experiences and ideas about stepping up the climate fight.

More about THE RELUCTANT RADICAL:
The film follows activist Ken Ward as he confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. After twenty years leading environmental organizations, Ken became increasingly alarmed by the scientific evidence of climate change and the repercussions for civilization. He now embraces direct action civil disobedience as the most effective political tool to deal with catastrophic circumstances.

The film follows Ken for a year and a half through a series of direct actions, culminating with his participation in the coordinated action that shut down all the U.S. tar sands oil pipelines on October 11, 2016. The film reveals both the personal costs and also the fulfillment that comes from following one’s moral calling- even if that means breaking the law. Ken Ward has no regrets, and his certainty leaves the audience to consider if he is out of touch with reality, or if it is the rest of society that is delusional for not acting when faced with the unsettling evidence that we are collectively destroying our world.

Director Lindsey Grayzel, co-producer Deia Schlosberg and cinematographer Carl Davis were three of four independent filmmakers to be arrested and charged with crimes for filming the activists on October 11, 2016. Their charges have been dropped, and they have joined forces to tell Ken’s story through this film. See the trailer…

Sponsored by Transition Palo Alto, the Peninsula Peace and Justice Center, 350 Silicon Valley, and the Green Sanctuary Committee of UUCPA.