Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise

Wednesday, May 27, 7pm @ The Garden Theater

This is the first film to be made about the incomparable Maya Angelou. The film presents her incredible journey, shedding light on the untold aspects of her life with remarkable unmatched access.   This intimate and personal portrait of Dr. Maya Angelou’s life is a touching and moving tribute to her legacy.

Distinctly referred to as “a redwood tree, with deep roots in American culture,” Maya Angelou gave people the freedom to think about their history in a way they never had before. Dr. Angelou’s was a prolific life; as a singer, dancer, activist, poet, and writer she inspired generations with lyrical modern African-American thought that pushed boundaries.

This unprecedented film weaves her words with rare and intimate archival photographs and videos, which paint hidden moments of her exuberant life during some of America’s most defining moments. From her upbringing in the Depression-era South to her work with Malcolm X in Ghana to her inaugural poem for President Bill Clinton, the film takes us on an incredible journey through the life of a true American icon.

The film also features a remarkable series of interviews with friends and family including President Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Alfre Woodard, Cicely Tyson, Quincy Jones, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, John Singleton and Dr. Angelou’s son, Guy Johnson.

The film premiered to critical acclaim at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.  It won the Audience Award at AFI Docs and was featured at notable fests worldwide including Full Frame, Sheffield Docs, Boulder Film Fest, and Riverrun, winning 9 awards on 3 continents.

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Part of our Reimagining the Republic: 250 Years of Voices, Struggles, and Hope series

As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, this series invites our community not only to look back, but to imagine forward—asking what kind of republic we wish to inhabit, and what responsibilities we carry into the next century of American life.

Reimagining the Republic: 250 Years of Voices, Struggles, and Hope is a public humanities initiative that explores the evolving meaning of American democracy through film, conversation, and the nation’s founding documents. Anchored in the America250 theme of We the People, this series invites our community to reflect on how the United States has been shaped—not only by its founders—but by generations of ordinary people whose courage, creativity, work, and resistance have continually expanded the boundaries of freedom and justice.

3 Films at The Garden –  4th Wednesday of the Month – March 25, April 22, May 27

We begin in March with a screening of You Can’t Be Neutral on a Moving Train, the award-winning documentary about historian and activist Howard Zinn, whose commitment to “history from below” resonates throughout the series.

In April, in recognition of Earth Day, our attention turns to the land itself. A screening of Prairie Prophecy, the documentary on Wes Jackson and the Land Institute, encourages audiences to consider how agriculture, ecology, and sustainability intersect with citizenship and intergenerational responsibility. Jackson’s work challenges us to imagine a republic that treats the earth as part of the public trust.

May features a documentary on Maya Angelou, celebrating the transformative power of storytelling, poetry, and art in shaping American consciousness—forms of democratic participation essential to a vibrant public culture. (Bob – Garden)

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In June, the series turns to the radical democratic imagination of Thomas Paine. A public screening of Begin the World Again introduces Paine’s insistence that common people—not monarchs—are the rightful authors of political destiny. A community reading and discussion of Common Sense follows, linking Paine’s revolutionary call to today’s debates about citizenship, civic responsibility, and the possibilities of self-governance.

In July, a Community Reading of the Declaration of Independence brings the focus back to the founding ideals, inviting reflection on the enduring power—and the limitations—of that revolutionary text.

September features Constitution Day with author Anne-Marie Oomen leading a hands-on Copying the Constitution event. By slowing down to write the document by hand, participants engage thoughtfully and physically with the foundational framework of American law.