Press Releases

‘Ken Burns Presents–East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story’ Screening and Panel Discussion

by Rouhollah Goudarzi

February 21, 2020

WCNY, Central New York’s community-owned flagship public broadcaster, will host a free public screening of the new documentary, “Ken Burns Presents—East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story,” followed by a panel discussion about Syracuse’s own public housing experiences. The event will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 11, at WCNY’s Robert J. Daino Broadcast and Education Center, 415 W. Fayette St., Syracuse.

“Ken Burns Presents—East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story” traces the history of public housing in Atlanta, Ga. In 1970, East Lake Meadows was constructed as the home for thousands of low-income Atlantans. However, when a wave of drugs swept through low-income communities across the nation, this neighborhood was abandoned. In the mid-1990s, Atlanta bulldozed the housing project to build new, mixed-income housing. Told through the stories of former residents, this film voices the experiences of marginalized communities, questions the poverty crisis, and discusses how we can better provide housing options for low-income and African American communities. It premieres at 8 p.m. March 24 on WCNY-TV.

The panel discussion will explore the past, present, and future of public housing in Syracuse, especially housing near I-81. Panelists include Vince Love, CEO of Blueprint 15, an organization exploring new ways to revitalize the I-81 neighborhood; Gretchen Purser, Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Syracuse University; William Simmons, the Executive Director of the Syracuse Housing Authority; and local public housing residents. Nina Moore, Professor of Political Science; Chair, Department of Political Science at Colgate University, will serve as the moderator for the panel discussion following the preview of the documentary, East Lake Meadows. She is also a regular panelist on WCNY’s award-winning weekly public affairs show, Ivory Tower.

“Ken Burns Presents—East Lake Meadows: A Public Housing Story” is made possible through grant funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, and public television viewers.

About WCNY
WCNY was founded in 1965 as The Educational Television Council of Central New York. Today, it is a community-owned media company that produces content across multiple platforms, including television and radio programs, dynamic web and targeted email content, the WCNY CONNECT member magazine, and social media. Through online stream technology, WCNY has a global broadcast audience of viewers and listeners throughout the United States and 17 countries. WCNY operates five digital, pledge-free broadcast channels and three radio stations. Towers are located in Watertown and Utica, and WCNY’s radio programming extends into Canada. Classic FM is one of a few radio stations in the world dedicated to locally programmed music.

Educational services include workshops; a 10,000 square-foot building with dedicated Education Center; Read Out, a radio reading service for the visually impaired; Enterprise America for middle school students; and a media and marketing communications program for high school students.

WCNY is LEED® Platinum Certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, the highest certification level achievable in Leadership, Energy & Environmental Design. Other achievements include “Business of the Year” in the nonprofit category in 2014 by CenterState CEO.