Locals

Your America tells the amazing stories of regular Americans who are changing the world. They are tackling urgent problems in their own communities, and they're creating innovative solutions. They enlist the power of civic activism. Their stories teach us that we all have the power to transform our communities. The eight stories on this DVD are all drawn from NOW on PBS, the PBS newsmagazine show with a viewership of over 2 million people. "This is must-see, make-your-blood-boil television." - Newsday "Fearless about challenging conventional wisdom." - Tom Brokaw "One of the last bastions of serious journalism on TV." - The Austin American-Statesman "NOW continues to have such an exciting Edward R. Murrow vibe that you half expect Brancaccio to turn to the camera and bid the audience adieu with an earnest 'Good night, and good luck.'" - Philadelphia Weekly ON THE DVD STOPPING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE Wynona Ward is the unlikely founder of Have Justice Will Travel. She went from truck driver to lawyer to inventing a new way to help rural victims of domestic violence. THE BATTLE FIELDS Lucas Benitez worked picking tomatoes in Southern Florida, but the wages were barely enough to live on. He rose up to create an alliance of workers and consumers that forced fast food giants change their ways. CLASS ACT Robert Moses knew that children from poor and minority backgrounds didn't always receive the education they deserved. So he developed The Algebra Project, an innovative program that helps disadvantaged schoolchildren with the power of math. VOTES FOR SALE Jackie Thrasher knew there were problems with Arizona's education system, the responsibility of the state legislature, but what could a music teacher do to change things? The surprising answer: run for office. Thrasher became part of a new movement called clean elections that allows "ordinary" citizens to run for political office. DANCING WITH WOLVES When development threatened the vistas and open spaces of beautiful Madison Valley, Montana, the Owens feared that traditional ranching would become a thing of the past. Together with fellow ranchers, they teamed up with their former enemies - environmentalists - to create a world-class community alliance. THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT Bill Graham, mayor of tiny Scottsburg, Indiana, challenged the telecommunications giants and wired his town for high speed internet. FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS Katie Redford, a young law student, dusted off the Alien Tort Claims Act of 1789 and ended up changing the way American corporations behave overseas. FOG OF WAR Peggy Buryj took on the U.S. Army to find out the truth about how her son died in Iraq, and helped change how the Army does business. READ THE COMPANION BOOK Your America: Democracy's Local Heroes, by John Siceloff and Jason Maloney. Introduction by David Brancaccio. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. This product is manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.