“Home is the center of everything. It is the issue where everyone can come to the table.” - Sara Terry
In this episode we explore the compass that developers, bankers and real estate executives use when making decisions on land use and rights when it comes to others' housing security. Mobile home parks are the lowest rung on the pole of the American Dream, but for many that's all that is feasible. But now that many mobile home parks' land is getting sold to large development companies, that dream is quickly falling apart and there's no way for those mobile home owners to stop it. How can one choose personal wealth and greed while actively destroying others' lives? Dawn and Sara discuss this in addition to comparing photojournalism to documentary filmmaking, and recounting the progress of Sara's career spanning the last several decades.
A DECENT HOME is a feature length documentary film by Sara Terry that addresses urgent issues of class and economic inequity through the lives of mobile home park residents who can’t afford housing anywhere else. The film asks, Who are we becoming as Americans? — as private equity firms and wealthy investors buy up parks, making sky-high returns on their investments while squeezing every last penny out of the mobile home owners who lack rights and protections under local and state laws, and must pay rent for the land they live on.
Follow the film:
Website: https://www.adecenthomefilm.com
Instagram @adecenthomefilm
Facebook @adecenthomefilm
The film premieres on PBS’s America Reframed on World Channel on March 16th. For more info go to: https://worldchannel.org/episode/america-reframed-a-decent-home/
Sara Terry’s Nonprofit:
Website: theaftermathproject.org