Introducing

A MORE PERFECT UNION

A Project of Arcadia Pictures

We the people of the United States have struggled for over 200 years to build a more perfect union. Our cultural diversity challenges our ability to find common ground, often setting us apart through racism, discrimination, and violence. We need to embrace diversity, not let it divide us. That calls for goodwill, creativity, and mutual respect.

This challenge inspired filmmaker Andrea Simon and Arcadia Pictures to undertake A More Perfect Union (AMPU). Thanks to the generous support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the Surdna Foundation, and the Topsfield Foundation, the AMPU project has produced video and print materials designed to inspire and support community-based conversations about cultural identity and the challenges of pluralism.

AMPU's flagship video -- Talk To Me: Americans in Conversation -- premieres on the PBS system on Friday, January 17, 1997. (Check local listings for your PBS affiliate's airdate.) This hour-long video is now available to educational and community organizations through The Cinema Guild, 1697 Broadway, Suite 506, New York, NY 10019 USA; phone 212/246-5522 or toll-free 800/723-5522, fax 212/246-5525, or send e-mail to TheCinemaG@aol.com.

A shorter discussion-starter video focusing on the ideas in Talk to Me is also available. Entitled Toward a More Perfect Union: An Invitation to Conversation , this 22-minute video comprises four five-minute video segments featuring speakers who address four primary themes, to help get the ball rolling.

The AMPU discussion guide -- Toward a More Perfect Union in an Age of Diversity -- provides a framework for a four-part conversation, focusing on the same general questions as the discussion-starter video:

1. The Many Faces of America: Who are we?
2. Bonds and Boundaries: Looking at Our Communities
3. Visions of America: What ties us together?
4. Making a Difference: What can we do in our community?

The Discussion Guide suggests ways that discussion leaders can bring these questions alive for group members.

Looking for Community Partners & Organizers

The AMPU project is now seeking partners in communities throughout the United States who want to help organize and carry out this national conversation. Read about how to get involved and contact the groups listed there. Organizations needing bulk quantities of AMPU materials for community-based projects should contact Study Circles Resource Center for information.