♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ >> Outstanding filmmaker Savanna Washington and Amanda Costa, one of the leading activists from Brazil, next on "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, diverse representation and perspectives, equity, and inclusion is critical to meeting the needs of our colleagues, customers, and communities.

We are focused on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both inside our company and in the communities where we live and work.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives and in our communities.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry around the world.

Learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to ensuring your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> We're very pleased to welcome Savanna Washington, outstanding filmmaker, to "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you for having me.

I appreciate it.

>> So, Savanna, you were originally born in Michigan, Detroit?

>> Yes, I'm a Detroiter, blue-collar girl through and through.

>> So, when did you first develop an interest in making films?

>> In Detroit.

I went to Cass Tech., and when I went to Cass, I majored in theater.

And so that's how I started.

What started my whole path was at Cass Tech in Detroit.

>> So, now you're a distinguished professor at the City University of New York teaching film.

>> Yes, yes.

>> And how long have you been teaching filmmaking?

>> I've been at City University of New York for a little over 15 years now, and I've been teaching for over 30 years.

But, yeah, I've been there over 15 years.

>> Your current project -- very fascinated -- "The Greening of the Bronx."

How is that possible?

>> What's been happening in the Bronx is there are these environmentalists, these Black and brown environmentalists, that have come together and decided to have agency over their community.

What had happened in the Bronx was what had happened in Detroit -- redlining, disinvestment.

And so public policy is what helped create ghettos.

And what happened in the Bronx, they decided, "We're gonna take matters into our own hands."

And so they started buying, like, the burnt-up buildings.

They started, like, development corporations to help build the community back.

And one of the reasons why the Bronx started coming back was because of the community.

And so there are a lot of these mom-and-pop or kind of grassroots organizations in the Bronx that are amazing, and Sustainable South Bronx was one of them.

It founded by Majora Carter.

And, again, it was -- Majora was out running one day, and she saw -- Her dog took her down this street, and she saw this -- It happened to be a dump.

It was an illegal dump site.

But when she got to the end of it, there was the Bronx River.

And she said, "The river comes here?"

And she looked around and said, "You know, this could be a park."

And she went home and wrote out on a napkin what it could look like and put out the first grant.

And that's one of the things that helped start the Bronx River Greenway.

>> Wow, that's an amazing story, the Bronx, New York, now being a center of environmental sustainability because of grassroots neighborhood activism.

But now you're capturing that on film.

Tell me how this film has evolved.

>> It started at the Colin Powell Center, which is now the Colin Powell School.

I was a fellow there, and so one of my mentors there mentioned Sustainable South Bronx.

And I was looking for my next project, and I just was so impressed with what they were doing.

Because part of the reason -- Part of what they were doing was -- They taught greening, green construction, retrofitting, all of those kinds of things that happen in construction.

But the other thing they added to it was they wanted to help the whole person, right?

They wanted to train the whole person.

So they had professional development classes.

They had work interviewing skills, fitness classes to help train the whole person, not just teach a class.

They taught people.

The people that came into their doors became their family while they were there.

>> Your film, "The Greening of the Bronx" -- when will it be completed?

>> So, it is scheduled to start airing April 1st on PBS and finishing doing the last-minute post-production things now like colorizing and sound mixing.

But the editing is done.

And so -- Yeah.

People will be able to see it on April 1st on, on PBS and on PBS Passport.

>> What led you to have this kind of dedication, to focus your film on the greening of the Bronx, New York?

>> I think one of the things I saw was the things I saw when I was in Detroit, when I lived there, that in urban communities of color, that people don't see our communities in the full spectrum of life that they are.

We have birthday parties, and we, you know, visit our friends and -- and have hopes and dreams.

And so that's the thing I saw in the Bronx, too.

And that part of the story never gets told.

Like the bad parts of our communities get told, but the happy parts of our story don't get told.

And so I saw this amazing work these people were doing, and it was just out of the love they had for each other.

And I wanted to show that, to show this other side of the Bronx, because when they looked at environmental justice, their environment included social justice, racial justice, economic justice.

It was everything within their environment.

And I thought that was -- It was a holistic approach.

Like, how do we -- Because one of the things that happens in the Bronx is it has the highest rates of asthma in the state.

It's one of the poorest congressional districts in the country.

Even with that, they're still hopeful and raising their kids just like everybody else.

And so I wanted to show that story of this community 'cause it was like my community growing up in Detroit.

I always say, in Detroit, if there was, like, a Black, urban Mayberry, I grew up in it.

[ Laughs ] >> As I listen to you, it brings to mind that the greening of the Bronx has helped to enhance the transformation of the Bronx to a quality place to live, quality place to raise a family.

And then you cited all these entrepreneurial opportunities with the greening of the Bronx, the different vocations.

If a community wanted to turn green, explain how this opens doors for entrepreneurship.

>> The wonderful thing about this type of work is it can't be exported.

When you need a roof on your house or you need green retrofitting or insulation put in your house, new windows, someone has to come and show up and do that work.

And so it opens up a lot of opportunities for the types of jobs that are living-wage jobs, that actually pay something that people can live on and thrive on.

And so that's one of the beautiful things about it, is that it's a program that was, you know -- One program -- One part of the program is 12 weeks long.

The other part of the program is like 16 weeks long.

And you come out in 3 or 4 months and really in this life-changing way.

And one of the people in the -- one of the teachers in program said you can come out, making $30, $40, $50 an hour at a time when people couldn't see that kind of money, were making minimum wage.

>> Your students at the City University of New York -- do you inform them of what you've also learned with this film that you've made entitled "The Greening of the Bronx"?

>> Yeah, I think the thing that they see when they see me is possibility 'cause I'm just like them, right?

And when they come into my classroom, they become part of my community.

And so I think when it's important to -- It's helpful to see what you can be.

And so I think that when they see me, they see -- I was just a blue-collar kid from Detroit.

My grandparents came up in the Great Migration from the South.

My grandfather was an itinerant farm worker before that.

And they became middle-class.

And so I'm them.

And they can see possibility.

And so I think that's important to show that, you know, to help them see what they can be also.

>> From your experience, how can urban America become greener?

>> The great thing about a program like Sustainable South Bronx is that it's replicable and scalable.

So, in Detroit, there's a -- The woman who started Green Door Initiative based the program on Sustainable South Bronx, and Green Door Initiative is doing gangbusters in Detroit right now.

They've been around over 20 years now.

So, it's wonderful to see that and to see that that training can go across the country and also help the communities within the country.

'Cause the nice thing about the program Sustainable South Bronx was that they went into the community and did community projects.

So, they worked in community gardens.

They did rainwater collection systems.

So, they would go and do these big projects in the community that help the community, but also help train them.

So it was a win-win situation.

So the community got this amazing benefit from their labor and their work, and they got the benefit of this training.

And so that's the beautiful thing about it, is that it is a program or project that can be replicable and scalable across the country.

>> If people wanted information about "The Greening of the Bronx," is there a website?

How can they find that information?

>> If they go to GreeningOfTheBronx.com, they can find out more about the film, and we'll be putting assets up for teachers and resources up for teachers and for the general public to take a look at and to share.

>> So, there's a supplemental curriculum guide that goes along with the film?

>> Yes, there will be one that goes up before the film airs on April 1st.

>> Based on your experience in Detroit, based on your experience now in the Bronx -- you've been teaching at the university level now for a number of years -- what gives you your greatest hope?

>> You know, one of the things that, you know, coming out of Detroit -- and it's not just Detroit, but, you know, my growing up in Detroit, the thing I saw in Detroit was just this tenacity to keep striving and growing and moving forward in our own lives, but also to be a bridge for the current generation to the next level up.

So, that's what gives me hope that, as people, no matter what is going on around us -- There was a great quote I read recently.

It said, "The world might be on fire, but the people around me are doing good things.

I may not be able to believe in much, but I can believe in that."

And so I believe in the good that good people are doing.

And so that gives me hope, too.

>> Savanna Washington, distinguished filmmaker, thank you for joining "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you for having me.

♪♪ ♪♪ >> Amanda Costa, welcome to "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> Thank you so much.

>> Sao Paulo is a big city.

What part of Sao Paulo are you originally from?

So you're now in the United States on a special visit sponsored by the United States State Department.

Wow, that's a big challenge.

And you're here on behalf of your country with young people from other countries around the world.

How do you see the world?

Is the world getting better to understand climate change, or are we moving too slow?

Tell us, what is the situation in Brazil with the Amazon rainforest?

You mentioned that the previous administration in Brazil gave a green light to deforestation, but the current government is now a different policy.

Is that correct?

Right.

Do you see this movement growing across the world?

That's great.

That's great news to hear, that the young people of the world are not only conscious, but they're taking actions... >> Exactly.

>> ...in their communities to bring about change.

Now, you also are considered to be one of the leading digital content producers and distributors in all of Brazil.

That's one of the reasons why the US State Department brought you on this latest trip to America.

How did you get a hold of the technology and use it the way you use it?

I think the State Department, the United States State Department, made the right decision by selecting you to represent Brazil.

There's a debate now in the United States about the functionality and the effectiveness of the United Nations.

From your perspective, do we need the United Nations?

This digital network, this network of young millennial influencers, different languages, but you are able to contact, maintain connection.

From your perspective, how important is having a global digital network where you can communicate with other millennials all over the world?

Today what gives you your greatest hope for the future?

Congratulations.

Amanda Costa, thank you so much for joining "The Chavis Chronicles."

>> For more information about "The Chavis Chronicles" and our guests, visit our website at TheChavisChronicles.com.

Also, follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.

Major funding for "The Chavis Chronicles" is provided by the following.

At Wells Fargo, diverse representation and perspectives, equity, and inclusion is critical to meeting the needs of our colleagues, customers, and communities.

We are focused on our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, both inside our company and in the communities where we live and work.

Together, we want to make a tangible difference in people's lives and in our communities.

Wells Fargo -- the bank of doing.

American Petroleum Institute.

Through API's Energy Excellence Program, our members are committed to accelerating safety, environmental, and sustainability progress throughout the natural-gas and oil industry around the world.

Learn more at api.org/apienergyexcellence.

Reynolds American, dedicated to building a better tomorrow for our employees and communities.

Reynolds stands against racism and discrimination in all forms and is committed to building a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

At AARP, we are committed to ensuring your money, health, and happiness live as long as you do.

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