Presented in partnership with The Legal Aid Society and POV/American Documentary, this event at the Queens Museum celebrates 150 years of The Legal Aid Society’s service to immigrants, workers, and New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

1:00 pm – 4:00 pm: Join us for a “community joy” family day, with hands on artmaking, a reading by a children’s book author and illustrator, children’s book giveaways by Brooklyn Book Bodega, and other fun activities.

2:30 pm: Join us for a free film screening of POV/American Documentary film: For Venida, For Kalief. The film and post-screening discussion will honor the life of Kalief Browder, examine the human toll of Rikers Island and our justice system, and invite the community to reimagine a different future, one rooted in healing, accountability, and a vision for what can replace a site that has come to symbolize so much loss.

Discussion to follow the film featuring: filmmaker Sisa Bueno; Deion Browder, brother of Kalief Browder; Stanley Richards, Commissioner of the New York City Department of Correction; Amanda Jack, Policy Director for the Criminal Defense Practice at The Legal Aid Society; and moderator Rob DeLeon, President and CEO, The Fortune Society.

RSVP is required to attend this free film screening and discussion.

About the film:
Kalief Browder’s everlasting legacy expands via the poetry of his mother, Venida in an unfolding poetic journey revealing how an individual’s life and afterlife can transcend boundaries to ignite change once thought unattainable.

Critical Acclaim:
Through Venida’s heart-wrenching lyrical poems and Bueno’s visionary storytelling, the film depicts the reality of the unbalanced NYC criminal justice system while honoring Kalief’s story to create a call to action for a change in the city’s prison system, reminding viewers of loss and possibilities. ‘Real life is about push and pull,’ Bueno says. ‘Two steps forward, [one step] back. That’s a real thing. You can’t deny that that’s true. And that doesn’t mean you don’t still move forward.’ —The Guardian

Please note that the last ticketed entry to the Museum is at 4:30 pm.