Central Skagit Library District

Seal meat is a staple food for Inuit, and many of the pelts are sold to offset the extraordinary cost of hunting. Inuit are spread across extensive lands and waters, and their tiny population is faced with a disproportionate responsibility for protecting the environment.. This documentary interweaves the reality of Inuit life with the story of their challenge to both the anti-sealing industry and those nations that mine resources on Inuit lands while...

Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Lebron James… Nowadays, the most fashionable heroes of pop culture are black men. Their love of style is not only a status symbol or a vapid superficial trend, it is rooted in a deep American cultural history, as flamboyant as it is political, that of Black Dandyism.. This movement recalls more than a century of cultural adventures, at the crossroads of fashion, arts and major social issues.

A fresh and genre-defying film about the life of radical Chicano lawyer, author and counter-cultural icon, Oscar Zeta Acosta — the basis for the character Dr. Gonzo in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, written by his friend, legendary journalist-provocateur Hunter S. Thompson.. Channeling the spirit of the psychedelic 60's and the joyful irreverence of “Gonzo” journalism, THE RISE AND FALL OF THE BROWN BUFFALO shows Acosta’s personal and creative...

For weeks, the world's eyes have been fixed on the tens of thousands of refugees fleeing war-torn Syria for Europe. But what is life like for those left behind? Correspondent Martin Smith goes "Inside Assad's Syria" to report from government-controlled areas as war rages, with on-the-ground reporting and firsthand accounts from Syrians caught in the crisis..

Clarkston, Georgia, one of America’s most diverse square miles, was designated as a refugee resettlement site in the 1980s and is now home to people from more than 40 different countries. Once a hub for the Ku Klux Klan, the city has gone from being 90 percent white to 82 percent non-white in just 30 years. Examine how Clarkston’s daily realities reflect wider demographic trends, and explore the collaborations and collisions that are occurring...

In Black and White is the first video series devoted to the life and work of contemporary African American authors. It introduces students and general readers to six of America's most talented and challenging writers: Charles Johnson, Toni Morrison, Gloria Naylor, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman and August Wilson.. These authors' work is helping to define a new multi-cultural American literary canon for the 21st Century. As Nobel Prize- winning novelist...

In the wake of Suge Knight's move to destroy NWA and Ruthless, Death Row Records exploded on the music scene in 1993 with a “gangster rap” sound that had taken the world by storm. Despite its unprecedented success with stars such as Dr. Dre, Snoop and Tupac, it quickly unraveled in a firestorm of rivalries, greed, and violence as Knight’s business methods increasingly mirrored the violent, hard-edged themes of its music.. This is the complete...

This acclaimed documentary covers the 200 year history of African-American Christianity, featuring the legends of Gospel music, including The Staple Singers, The Clara Ward Singers, The Dixie Hummingbirds, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe.. Culled from hundreds of hours of music, tracing the evolution of gospel music through its many styles – the spirituals and early hymns, the four-part harmony-based quartets, the integration of blues and swing, the emergence...

This New York Times Critics' Pick, filmed with vérité intimacy for nearly a decade, is a moving portrait of the Rainey family living in North Philadelphia. Beginning at the dawn of the Obama presidency, Christopher "Quest" Rainey, and his wife, Christine'a "Ma Quest" raise a family while nurturing a community of hip hop artists in their home music studio. It's a safe space where all are welcome, but this creative sanctuary can't always shield them...

Political empowerment for Latinos in the United States has always been difficult. A Mexican-American butcher's son from Texas, Willie Velasquez questioned the lack of Latino representation in his city's government, propelling him into a lifelong battle to gain political equality for Latinos. This documentary examines obstacles Latinos had to overcome to obtain representation, and addresses issues facing Latinos today.