Emergency Needs

Directed by Kevin Jerome Everson

Emergency Needs considers the 1968 Hough Riots and the Glenville Shootout in Cleveland, Ohio, and the response to the crisis, as observed in color footage from a local press conference by Mayor Carl B. Stokes. Stokes, the first Black mayor of a major American city, maintains calm and measured composure; his demeanor and words help diffuse an already incendiary situation. Actress Esosa Edosomwan, dressed in a suit and tie, delivers Stokes’ statements. The footage of Stokes and the filmed performance of Edosomwan are rendered in split screen and combined with footage and reportage from the streets.