The Apology

The public is invited to a free screening of The Apology, a full- feature-length documentary by Emmy nominated film director Mimi Chakarova and produced by community leader Aisha Knowles at the Bankhead Theater on Saturday, November 16 at 1:00pm. The Apology, the recipient of the prestigious 2024 Better Angels Lavine Fellowship, will continue to screen at film festivals for the next two years. The event is generously sponsored by Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert.

The Apology investigates an incident in the 1960s in which Alameda County and the City of Hayward dismantled the entire community of Russell City, pushing 1,400 residents out of their homes and off their land – all to claim the 200 acres for an industrial park. Sixty years later, the film tells the stories of more than twenty residents and their descendants. Using archival footage, animated photos and illustrations, the film explores the historical significance of an apology. Several weeks after the very first community screening of The Apology, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors formally apologized for its role in the seizure and destruction of Russell City.