"The Water Front" energizes audiences at innovative event, "All-Consuming: Conversations on Oil and Water" January 27, Chicago

Loyola University packed in a full house of activists, experts, and students wanting to make connections regarding oil, water, and community action. Professor and Policy expert Sabina L. Shaikh moderated the event and began by discussing the differences between oil and water, noting that there is no substitute for water. Fernando Coronil then discussed the history of oil exploitation in Venezuela emphasizing the need to connect not only oil and water, but social movements in the U.S., Venezuela, and internationally. Maureen Taylor and Marian Kramer discussed organizing strategies and drove the message home that we must find solutions that benefit the many over the individual. Liz Miller showed the 7-minute clip of the film and discussed how films can contribute to grass roots advocacy campaigns. A huge thanks to Dimitra Tasiouras for bringing us together for what is one of a "conversation series" on sharing resources - to see the rest of the line up visit:

http://www.prairie.org/programs/all-consuming-conversations-oil-and-wate...
Yours, Mine, Ours, or Theirs? Accessing and Controlling Oil and Water:

Date: Tuesday January 27, 2009
Time: 6:00-8:00 pm
Venue: Loyola University Kasbeer Hall, 25 E. Pearson St., 15th Floor
Co-Sponsors – Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture at the University of Chicago, Loyola University Museum of Art

Are oil and water resources to be stewarded and shared, or commodities to be bought and sold? Does any person or country or community own oil and water resources? How do the concepts of ownership and stewardship impact inequality in access to oil and water? What questions are raised by the privatization of resources? In Yours, Mine, Ours, or Theirs?, we’ll explore ownership and stewardship of oil and water globally and locally through the story of Venezuela’s oil industry and through the documentary The Water Front, which examines water privatization as experienced by the African-American community of Highland Park, Michigan.

Presenters:
· Elizabeth Miller – Director, The Water Front
· Marian Kramer, National Co-Chair, Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
· Maureen D. Taylor, State Chair , Michigan Welfare Rights Organization
· Fernando Coronil, Ph.D – Presidential Professor, Department of Anthropology, City University of New York
· Sabina L. Shaikh, Ph.D - Lecturer, Public Policy and Program on Global Environment, University of Chicago Senior Research Economist, RCF Economic Consulting (moderator)