ON THIS EPISODE
On July 17th we lost a civil rights icon and man of the community, the late Congressman John Lewis. Congressman Lewis was a man dedicated to serving his community and to ensuring justice for those who are unheard. On this episode of The Justice Rap Up we are dedicating this episode to Congressman Lewis and the legacy he left behind.
This month, co-hosts Rap and Illy sit down with award winning filmmaker, Dawn Porter, who was a great admirer of Congressman Lewis’s work. She has directed documentaries, such as Gideon’s Army, Good Trouble, and Trapped. Kick back as these three friends chat about how Gideon’s Army was created, the legacy of John Lewis, and the consequences of overturning Roe v. Wade. You don’t want to miss out on this!
ABOUT THE GUEST
Dawn Porter is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has appeared on HBO, PBS, Discovery, and Netflix among others. She is currently directing and executive producing an Apple TV multi-part documentary series with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Harry, which focuses on both mental illness and mental well-being.
Other current projects include the documentary Vernon Jordan: Make It Plain which explores Vernon Jordan’s rise from the segregated South to become one of the most influential African American thought leaders in America; John Lewis: Good Trouble for CNN Films, which explores late Congressman John Lewis’ pivotal role in the Civil Rights movement and decades of political and social activism on important issues including voting rights, immigration laws, and much more; and The Way I See It, about photojournalist Pete Souza, who served as Chief Official White House photographer for President Barack Obama and previously as an Official White House photographer for President Ronald Reagan.
Dawn also directed and produced the acclaimed four-hour Netflix original series Bobby Kennedy for President, which was released in 2018 and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.
A two-time Sundance festival Director, her film Trapped which explored laws regulating abortion clinics in the South won the special jury social-impact prize at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, in addition to a Peabody and numerous other awards.
Her 2013 documentary Gideon’s Army premiered on HBO and won best editing at Sundance. Gideon’s Army was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and an Emmy, and is part of the U.S. Department of State’s American Film Showcase.
Dawn also directed and produced Spies of Mississippi, a critically-acclaimed historical documentary that was part of the Independent Lens series on PBS. In 2015 Dawn directed and produced Rise: The Promise of My Brother’s Keeper, a film for The Discovery Channel chronicling President Obama’s program to help young men of color succeed.
Dawn has been commissioned to create films for the Center for Investigative Reporting, Time and Essence Magazines, The New York Times Op Docs, and Amazon. Her work has received generous support from the MacArthur Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, Tribeca Film Institute, Sundance Film Institute, Chicken & Egg Pictures and other esteemed organizations. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Television Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Directors Guild of America.
YOU’LL LEARN ABOUT
- The backstory behind Gideon’s Army.
- How did the late Congressman John Lewis influenced Gideon’s Promise and Dawn Porter?
- How will the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade impact impoverished communities and public defense as a whole?
- What’s next on the horizon for Dawn Porter?
Gideon’s Promise: The Podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and on the Gideon’s Promise website.
FURTHER READING
Gideon’s Promise: A Public Defender Movement to Transform Criminal Justice (2020) by Jonathan Rapping.