WELCOME TO SHELBYVILLE FILM

 June 17, Fri  7:30 p.m. Film: Welcome to Shelbyville. Arab American National Museum, 13624 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, 48126.  The program includes a screening of the 2009 documentary Welcome to Shelbyville, directed by award-winning filmmaker Kim A. Snyder. The film introduces a cast of straight-talking people in rural Tennessee who are taking immigration into their own hands – by welcoming newcomers. Set against the backdrop of a shaky economy, Welcome to Shelbyville takes an intimate look at a southern town as its residents – whites and African Americans, Latinos and Somalis – grapple with their beliefs, their histories and their evolving ways of life. The film screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, 2011, in the Lower Level Auditorium, followed by a short intermission with refreshments available for purchase. An 8:45 p.m. panel discussion will feature New Detroit President Shirley Stancato and State Rep. Rashida Tlaib, followed by a question and answer session. The event is free and open to the public. It is cosponsored by the global human rights organization Breakthrough; Active Voice, which uses media to spark change; and the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center. More: http://arabamericanmuseum.org/welcome.to.shelbyville.film.panel