Our film, A City Within a City, tells historical and contemporary stories of Black men and women in Grand Rapids, Michigan struggling for freedom, equality, and justice.

We explore these stories through the lens of Dr. Todd Robinson’s concept of “managerial racism” from his book of the same title. It’s the polite, covert tactics that limit the progress of Black citizens while creating the impression of forward movement in a progressive, justice-minded environment.

We started this journey two years ago encapsulated in this book that, as Black Grand Rapidians, we felt had shined a light on a dark history that was hidden. We wanted to find a way to bring the stories from the book to more people, since most people don’t read academic dissertations! So the best way for us to get the contents of the book to the masses, especially young people, was to put it in a film. With your help!

What We Need & What You Get

Generous foundations have given us a tremendous start, but this film is a community project: “nothing about us without us!” So the community is being consulted through multiple channels for feedback, materials, and stories, but also through this opportunity to have a financial ownership stake. Your contribution gets us to PRODUCTION! As in Lights, Cameras, ACTION!

• cameras bought
• sets designed & built
• animation created
• crew hired
• community apprentices placed & trained

Your contribution will go toward these items even if the entire goal is not met. But it WILL BE! BECAUSE WE HAVE AN AWESOME COMMUNITY!!

The Impact

This film will be distributed across the country to help other communities where managerial racism is rampant. It will equip all who care about their city and want it to be healthier by providing examples of:

• Resistance to gatekeeping
• Overcoming roadblocks
• Identifying managerial racism as it shapeshifts
• Debating strategies of Black excellence vs. accommodation
• White allyship

And this is just the beginning. The apprentices we place to learn major film crew roles will be the pioneers for our 501c3 incubator program, Grand Rapids Media Initiative & Film Incubator. The impact of that program will be wide-ranging for Black & brown videographers:

• Training by pros
• Top-level equipment lending library/community studio trust
• Conferences & workshops
• Networking & partnering
• Screenings & talkbacks for the community
• Go-to spot for local institutions seeking excellent videography from a more diverse perspective
• Pipeline to national channels seeking talent

Risks & Challenges

Risks and obstacles are a part of any film. We have already experienced more than our fair share and do you see us slowing down? With the help of God and our community, nothing will stop us from achieving our goal.

• Dr. Todd Robinson received many offers to turn his book into a film, he chose ours, has been working closely with us, and is committed to the end.
• Born and raised in Grand Rapids, we do not have the option of letting our community down. We will make this film with whatever God provides, and it will reflect our voices.

Other Ways You Can Help

• Follow and share our social media channels (#GrandStandPictures) and the Indiegogo share tools to get the word out and make some noise about our campaign.
• Keep your eyes and ears open for memorabilia, videos, audio, anything that would contribute to this visual story.
• Tell friends involved in videography to reach out to us if they would like to advance their careers
• Help build our list of places to screen this film
• Send us news of film festivals you admire
• Tell us what gifts you could bring to our Incubator space
• Email your ideas to info@grandstandpictures.com