Shelbyville Multimedia

About the Project

Inspired by the residents of Shelbyville, Tennessee, who pushed past their fears and faced the rapid demographic change in their town, Shelbyville Multimedia provides story-based tools, events and resources to help communities become more welcoming to newcomers. Its components are adapted from the documentary film, Welcome to Shelbyville, directed and produced by Kim A. Snyder and produced by BeCause Foundation in association with Active Voice.

Set against the backdrop of a shaky economy, Welcome to Shelbyville takes an intimate look at a southern town as its residents - whites and African Americans, Latinos and Somalis - grapple with their beliefs, their histories, and their evolving ways of life. It follows several characters as they connect across formidable lines: Hawo, a Somali refugee and former nurse working at Tyson Foods; Beverly, an African-American whose roots in Shelbyville span several generations; Brian, a local white reporter who is documenting the new arrivals; and welcoming ambassadors Miguel and Luci, who have both overcome their own personal challenges to become a bridge between long-term residents and immigrants. From their places of worship to the Tennessee Walking Horse Show; from a tense confrontation in the imam's house to a potluck where Tyson chicken is served Somali-style, the film captures an intimate slice of life as these unlikely neighbors grapple with the new face of "Southern hospitality."

Shelbyville Multimedia includes the following components:

• Full-length and hour-long versions of Welcome to Shelbyville by Kim A. Snyder and distributed by BeCause Foundation that can be screened in policy, faith-based and community settings.

• Shorter "modules" that use compelling storylines as training tools for service providers and community leaders.

• Embeddable webisodes that feature new footage and reveal the complex dimensions of the residents of Shelbyville; animating an interactive, character-based website: www.WelcomeToShelbyvilleOnline.org.

The Fledgling Fund Impact

The Fledgling Fund is pleased to support this important project because we believe it provides a rich platform for finding sustainable solutions to immigration challenges. The multimedia components of this project allow for interaction on many levels and for concept replication in towns across America.