In 1991, an iconic film changed Jennifer Townsend’s life. Not only did Thelma & Louise inspire her to drop her former husband’s last name, it caused Townsend to launch a research project to see if other viewers also had strong emotional responses to the film. Email was not available so a press release went out to magazines and newspapers across the country. A few printed the short blurb about the project, leading to readers requesting questionnaires. Most mailed their responses to Townsend, while some responded by voicemail on a dedicated phone line. “I had planned to write a lengthy article about the responses and what the film had meant to me, but it just didn’t feel like the right time to put it all together,” Townsend recalls. “Decades later a lightening bolt struck. Those responses should become a film. I liken it to when Thelma & Louise screenwriter Callie Khouri told an audience the story came to her all at once, like getting punched in the heart. It was the same thing for me.” So this retiree in her 70s set out to make her very first film. Two Films/One Powerful Story Townsend’s efforts paid off. Her documentary, Catching Sight of Thelma & Louise, had its world premeiere at the Cinema At The Edge (CATE) film festival in 2017. Clips from Thelma & Louise serve as a catalyst for personal stories by viewers who were impacted by the film, as well as two of the male actors (Christopher McDonald and Marco St. John) and film editor Thom Noble. Those appearing in …

With every political or social movement, particular types of accessories emerge. Often fastened to jackets, blouses, bags, and even shoes, I am, of course, talking about buttons and pins. These adornments have been part of the United States scenery since the country’s beginning. During the first presidential inauguration, supporters of George Washington wore copper buttons with his initials in the center. A chain surrounding the button’s rim had links representing each of the original thirteen states. Just a few words or simple image can convey a powerful message. Supporters of the woman suffrage movement wore buttons to express their belief that women deserved the right to vote. When 168 women suffragists were released from jail in 1917 for picketing the White House, they each received a Jailed for Freedom pin. (FYI: American women finally had full voting rights when the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted on August 26, 1920. Next year marks its complicated 100th anniversary). Madeleine Albright during her tenure as Secretary of State famously wore pins to express opinions when meeting with members of government at home and abroad. On good days she wore flowers or butterflies; on bad days bugs and carnivorous animals. Activity Sit down with the girl(s) in your life and create your own buttons. Purchase a kit of snap together craft buttons (like the ones to the right). Get out markers, pens, crayons, scissors and a couple of pieces of cardstock. Discuss the details chosen for the designs (colors, images, wording, placement). What messages do you each hope the buttons communicate? What …