The story of America’s early space exploration, a remarkable effort that captured the attention of the nation and put a man on the moon, was largely populated by men, and specifically white men. From Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, the county’s first astronauts were male.
It would take more than 20 years and the maturing of the women’s movement before America would send a woman into space.
The documentary “Makers: Women in Space” traces the history of the women who battled their way into the boys club that was the U.S. space program, and chronicles how they paved the way for modern female engineers, scientists, mathematicians and astronauts. The film, which is part of a PBS series on women who made America, will screen at the Powerhouse Science Center on Wednesday.
The free screening and accompanying panel discussion will kick off the 2014-15 season of Durango’s Community Cinema. The program, which is presented by Independent Television Series (ITVS), brings free screenings of documentaries to cities across the country.
The point of Community Cinema, said Durango organizer Bliss Bruen, is to spark meaningful community dialogue on relevant and meaty topics.
“It’s getting the community to talk about issues and think about all sides,” she said. “It’s a great place to meet people you may not meet otherwise, and talk about some really important issues. The conversations are always excellent.”
Bruen pairs each screening with a panel discussion, reaching out to organizations or people in the community with ties to the film’s subject to find participants. Wednesday’s panel will include Laura Peticolas, director of the “Multiverse” education group at the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, (in town for a special Powerhouse conference) along with Durango High School Aerospace Team members Mallory Byrd and Shaylah Wood, Animas High School science teacher Colleen Dunning and AHS students.
“It’s a great opportunity for families looking at their girls and thinking, how likely is it that they are going to consider a STEM [science, technology, engineering and mathematics] career,” Bruen said.
“Makers” is only the beginning. Community Cinema will bring documentaries about gender oppression across the world, homeless teenagers and same-sex marriage. Bruen is particularly excited about “A Path Appears,” the follow-up to “Half the Sky,” a film about worldwide efforts to reverse oppression of women that was inspired by the popular book by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn.
“That will resonate with many people in our community,” she said.
And instead of just watching the films, at the end of each panel, Bruen said, there is an effort to brainstorm action. She has seen a lot of energy come out of the screenings.
“We always have some interactive way where you are not just sitting and listening to a panel,” she said. “To me, it’s really affirming as to that I’m living in a place that is very culturally, socially aware and active. People are passionate here.”