Benson Theatre

"Divisible" is a documentary feature film about the history and current impacts of redlining in the United States, focusing on the specific case of Omaha, Nebraska to show how this practice continually affects and harms people and cities across the nation. Redlining was a government policy beginning in 1934 that designated specific areas of cities to receive financial support and excluded low-income areas and communities of color, targeting them for disinvestment and decline. This targeting reflected a long history of racism. These disfavored redlined neighborhoods were overwhelmingly populated by people of color. The resulting disinvestment exacerbated pre-existing socio-economic and racial disparities. While redlining as government policy was ultimately banned in 1968, the harmful impacts are clear to this day and many of the informal practices continue. Yet most Americans do not know what ‘redlining’ means, much less its powerful and persistent implications. This lack of understanding about redlining skews many Americans’ perceptions of various socioeconomic disparities past and present. As such, Divisible aims to build awareness of the historical context that precipitated redlining, and the ways redlining’s effects are still felt to this day in the lives of many. Each screening will include a panel of film participants and issue experts for a Q&A with attendees.