See the film about four women who challenged the electoral status quo in the US

Hastings and Rother Refugee Buddy Project is to screen Knock Down The House, an inspiring documentary about four women who challenged the electoral status quo in the US, changing the face of American politics. Nick Terdre reports.

Knock Down The House focuses on four women who found themselves up against the grim realities of life in the US:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, when tragedy struck her family in the midst of the financial crisis, had to work double-shifts in a restaurant to save her home from foreclosure;
Amy Vilela, who, after losing a loved one to a preventable medical condition, didn’t know what to do with the anger she felt about America’s broken health care system;
Cori Bush, who was drawn into the streets when the police shooting of an unarmed black man brought protests and tanks into her neighbourhood;
and Paula Jean Swearengin, who was fed up with watching her friends and family suffer and die from the environmental effects of the coal industry.

“At a moment of historic volatility in American politics, these four women decide to fight back, setting themselves on a journey that will change their lives and their country forever,” says Hastings and Rother Refugee Buddy Project. “Without radical experience or corporate money, they build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress. Their efforts result in a legendary upset.”

Vilela, Bush and Swearengin were unsuccessful in their campaigns last year, but the upset was the election of Ocasio-Cortez to Congress, despite her lack of ‘big money’ backers – it’s a tribute to the power of community organising, says Alex Kempton of the Refugee Buddy Project.

The screening will take place at 6pm on Friday 22 November at OPEN, 19 Grand Parade, St Leonards-on-Sea. Though a free event, spaces are limited, so those wishing to attend are asked to book their place online.

Promoting the migrant vote

The film is being screened as a contribution to the Promote the Migrant Vote campaign organised by Migrants Organise. This is a collaborative project involving a number of charities and organisations in the migration and race equality sector.

“Our purpose is to support migrants and BME groups to engage with the upcoming General Election on December 12, 2019 by providing resources, information and a national framework for mobilisation,” says Migrants Organise.

“We want to ensure that the experiences of our members facing uncertainty, fear and isolation are on the national agenda at this election and that their interests are properly represented.” See further information on the campaign website.

Voter registration packs will be available at the screening for anyone who needs them, along with advice on how to use them.

The screening is also supported by Doc Society which is “committed to enabling great documentaries films and connecting them to audiences globally.”

Also in: Campaigns