Media Impact Funders, The Atlantic Philanthropies and Philanthropy New York convened a funder gathering and livestream to discuss the acclaimed Ken Burns Film, The Central Park Five, on June 15, 2013.
The story of the Central Park Five is one scarring New York history; a case of injustice for five teenagers of color who were wrongly convicted of raping a Central Park jogger after being tricked into confessing by the police. This tragic story showcases many issues addressed by philanthropy for decades, including race, class, policy and juvenile justice.
The dialogue featured filmmakers Sarah Burns and David McMahon; Raymond Santana, a victim from the case; Annmarie Benedict, Program Executive at The Atlantic Philanthropies; discussion leader Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow!; and session moderator Vince Stehle, Executive Director of Media Impact Funders.
Read the Storify here.
Explore educational resources surrounding the film.
Watch the video from the livestream.
Read Vince Stehle’s opinion piece on Philanthropy.com about the Trayvon Martin ruling, and what funders can and should do to address racial injustice — from Stand Your Ground laws to media portrayals of men of color.
Read Vince Stehle’s blog post on media projects keeping race and justice issues in the spotlight.
There are many compelling media explorations of race and injustice – from documentary films like The House I Live InSlavery By Another Name and The Interrupters to the Harper High radio series on This American Life and  major feature films like Snitch and Fruitvale Station to companion campaigns like Lock It Down America!  and the BeyondBars.org project.

We’d like to hear your thoughts on this critical set of issues. Feel free to leave a comment below and share examples of media projects you’re involved with, provide support to or simply something you’ve seen.