Wednesday my mother and I attended a screening of “The Heroic True-Life Adventures of Alvin Brooks” at Screenland Armour as part of the Second Annual Juneteenth Film Festival. Considering the film tells the life of one of Kansas City’s most important community leaders and is directed by Academy Award winning screenwriter Kevin Wilmott we had to go.
A packed audience watched the documentary portraying Brooks’ upbringing in Kansas City, the racism he experienced and the urge to become a police officer for the KCPD. Animated sequences accompany his narration bringing humor to offset the alarming situations he faced in the pre civil rights movement environment.
After leaving the KCPD he decided to take on the drug problem in the community gathering like minded people to picket crack houses offering help to those who wanted a new life. Brooks was honored by President George HW Bush for his activism and unsuccessfully ran for Kansas City mayor against the politically troubled Mark Funkhouser.
The film is a powerful and funny glimpse in pulling yourself up from adversity and making a difference for generations even today. Screenland will host the film again June 24th and Kansas City’s PBS affiliate is slated to air it. Highly recommended!
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