The Sun Rises in the East

The Sun Rises in the East

Tayo Giwa (Dir), 58 minutes, USA, Western New York Premiere

The birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.

Led by educator and activist Jitu Weusi, The East embodied Black self-determination, building more than a dozen institutions, including its own African-centered school, food co-op, newsmagazine, publisher, record label, restaurant, clothing shop and bookstore. The organization hosted world-famous jazz musicians and poets at its highly sought-after performance venue, and it served as an epicenter for political contemporaries such as the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords and the Congress of Afrikan People, as well as comrades across Africa and the Caribbean.

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Watch the Virtual Q+A with Director/Producer/Screenwriter Tayo Giwa + Screenwriter/Producer Cynthia Giwa here!