The Denver Press Club welcomes author and filmmaker Julian Rubinstein and former Park Hill Blood gang leader turned civil rights activist Terrance Roberts to discuss the new book and documentary, THE HOLLY. Journalist Tamara Banks will moderate the conversation, which will include clips from the film, soon to be released in Denver.
Julian Rubinstein is an award-winning journalist, author and documentary filmmaker. His new non-fiction book, The Holly: Five Bullets, One Gun and the Struggle to Save an American Neighborhood, was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in May 2021. It was a New York Times Editors’ Choice and the winner of the 2022 Colorado Book Award for general nonfiction. It was also a Best Books of 2021 pick of Booklist, which called it “a shattering piece of investigative journalism involving street gangs, race relations and law enforcement.” While reporting the book, he began filming what became THE HOLLY, his first documentary feature film. He is Visiting Professor of the Practice in Documentary Journalism at the University of Denver.
Terrance Roberts is an activist, a former gang member and a third-generation resident of the Holly neighborhood. After becoming a Blood gang member in 1995, he spent nearly ten years in prison, including a year in solitary confinement. When he was released, he founded the Prodigal Son Initiative, an anti-gang organization serving at risk youth in his neighborhood. The organization won awards for its success reducing gang violence. In 2020, Terrance founded the Frontline Party for Revolutionary Action, and was a co-leader of the Justice for Elijah McClain movement. His work on police reform was cited by Colorado lawmakers as helping make Colorado the first in the nation to pass police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. A certified home inspector, he is currently a candidate for mayor of Denver.
Emmy Award-winning journalist Tamara Banks lives her motto: “One Person Can Make a Difference.” Banks is a freelance TV correspondent/producer, talk show host, and documentary filmmaker, focusing on social justice, and dedicated to creating transformative social change through excellence in journalism. Banks is currently the host of “From Moment to Movement: with Tamara Banks,” a platform for Black voices to be heard, uncensored and unfiltered. The program also features tools and action plans to shift this moment into a movement.
The event is free for members and students, and $5 for non-members. Purchase or reserve tickets at the Spotlight link below.