SPRINGFIELD, Ohio- John de Graaf, documentary filmmaker, author, and social critic, will be addressing the Wittenberg community on Thursday, March 29.  His colloquium, highlighting his recent work, “Motherhood Manifesto,” will focus on U.S. family rights policies and how they affect Americans.  Co-sponsored by the Departments of Education, Communication, Economics, and Sociology, the colloquium will begin at 4 p.m. in Kissell Auditorium.

Throughout his career, de Graaf has produced over 30 films, mostly for public television.  Employed by KCTS-TV, a PBS affiliate in Seattle, he has had more than 15 of his programs broadcast nationally and received over 100 awards for his filmmaking achievements.  He has won numerous awards, including three Emmy awards, and written over 100 articles.  He co-authored the best-selling "Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic" and is the editor of "Take Back Your Time" and of the children’s book, David Brower: Friend of the Earth".  His main interests are in environmental issues and in political economy issues as they relate to quality of life.

De Graaf recently finished two new films which he will address in more detail at the colloquium: “Buyer Be Fair: The Promise of Product Certification,” which discusses the worldwide Fair Trade and Forest Stewardship campaigns and “The Motherhood Manifesto,” the film version of the book by the same name written by Joan Blades, co-founder of MoveOn.org.  “It’s about policies to help working mothers and families, many of which can help us achieve a more Simplicity-Friendly society, and [it] has involved MoveOn and many unions and mothers and women’s groups.  We will be holding hundreds, perhaps thousands, of house parties around the film right after Labor Day,” explained de Graaf.

In addition to his films, books, and articles, De Graaf also serves as the national coordinator for Take Back Your Time Day, a "major U.S./Canadian initiative to challenge the epidemic of overwork, over-scheduling and time famine that now threatens our health, our families and relationships, our communities and our environment."  He also is involved with numerous groups looking for a way forward from the American morass, including conversations with Senator Barack Obama and staff people for various other Congressional leaders.  “We are working to promote a Work and Family Bill of Rights, Take Back Your Time’s ‘Time to Care’ agenda, a bill called ‘The Balancing Act’ and a new campaign being launched by the Forum on Social Wealth, called ‘What is the Economy For?’,” said de Graaf. 

This campaign, “What is the Economy For?” will be the subject of a later discussion by de Graaf, where he will address U.S. economic policies as they pertain to our quality of life.  This presentation will also take place on Thursday in Kissell Auditorium at 7:30 p.m.  Both events are open to the campus; Communication majors are strongly encouraged to attend.

Sources: http://www.motherjones.com/radio/2006/07/degraaf_bio.html and http://www.timeday.org