Summit schedule

View the line-up for the 11th Annual Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival, including our thought-provoking panels and Film Festival submissions

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Panels

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Short Film Block

12:00 pm

Mystery of Faith & Intention: Bruce Springsteen and I

Directed by Kathy Callahan
Synopsis

Kathy Callahan's short Biographical Film was solicited for submission by "Bruce Springsteen and I" on December 6, 2012.

12:00 pm

Anti-Chevron Day 2022 with Human Rights Lawyer, Steven Donziger

Directed by Peter Menchini
Synopsis

May 21st is Anti-Chevron Day, and this year, human rights lawyer, Steven Donziger joined us at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA to show his support. Donziger was the victim of what’s been called the “first corporate criminal prosecution” in the United

12:00 pm

The Rescue

Directed by Tess Cacciatore
Synopsis

THIS SHORT FILM IS A NUCLEUS STORY OF A FEATURE FILM IN THE WORKS CALLED "ROMEO" based on true stories of young women and girls who are being trapped into the largest human rights violation in the world today. This short film titled "The Rescue" showcase

12:00 pm

Rich Appetites: The Foundation

Directed by Ashley Fent
Synopsis

Industrial agriculture has failed to solve hunger, decimated rural communities, and had severe ecological consequences. So why is this model being exported to Africa and promoted in international policy circles? Rich Appetites Film 1: The Foundation is t

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

Incarcerated girls - escaping “honor” killings

Directed by Marja Grill, Fanny Renman
Synopsis

“Even though I run the risk of being killed tomorrow, I'm not afraid today,” says Yasmina. Wondering if they’ll still be alive tomorrow haunts the girls who have escaped. For three months, a team of investigative reporters kept in close contacts with sev

7:00 pm

At Your Cervix

Directed by A'magine
Synopsis

At Your Cervix is the first documentary to expose the little-known practice of the non-consensual use of patients as practice dummies by the American medical education system. In an era when conversations about both consent and reproductive justice are pa

9:00 pm

La Lucha: Getting Schooled in America

Directed by Joseph Rand Courtney
Synopsis

A tight group of at-risk students in Southern California fight to overcome family trauma, homelessness and gang violence in an attempt to simply graduate high school. When one of their closest friends is murdered, they struggle to defy expectations and st

Short Film Block

12:00 pm

Counterterror

Directed by Yasmin M Neal
Synopsis

What happens when teachers fight back

12:00 pm

The Rebellion

Directed by Gabriel Hostetler
Synopsis

The Rebellion, written by lawyer/artist Ari Scharg, shines a spotlight on corrupt practices in the legal industry. It finds its roots in the real life $100 million Ponzi scheme perpetuated by celebrity lawyer, Tom Girardi, the husband of Real Housewives o

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

Dismissal Time

Directed by André Joseph
Synopsis

When a black high school student in a reputable prep school becomes the victim of a vicious form of cyberbullying, his history teacher makes it her mission to bring those responsible to task when the administration fails to act. Inspired by true events.

7:00 pm

Unholy Master of Evil

Directed by Tony Moseley
Synopsis

An animated film about a school teacher of special needs children who was the victim of a rape hoax. His life in ruins and unemployed, he slowly animated this film entirely by himself, hoping that it will ultimately help him find justice. The information

9:00 pm

Science for Hire

Directed by Gary Null, Ph.D.
Synopsis

Science for Hire takes us on a journey through the most critical scientific issues that directly affect our health and well-being, shedding light on the hidden secrets of the scientific, pharmaceutical, and military industrial complexes. Following a long

Capitol Hill Event

Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2044, Washington, DC

Virtual Film Presentations

7:00 pm

On a Knife's Edge Documentary

Directed by Jen Ayling
Synopsis

In this documentary we explore the harrowing events that unfolded during the Covid-19 outbreak. We had heard rumours about how hospitals were using dangerous protocols. We had no idea that our worst nightmare was about to come to pass. With multiple org

9:00 pm

Caller ID: Unknown

Directed by Konrad M Defang
Synopsis

"CALLER ID : UNKNOWN" is a drama based on a the true events of the unrest in the Northwest and Southwest regions of Cameroon. When a young woman named Nkwenti tries to escape the horrors of a sudden outbreak of war in her village she is pushed to finding

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

A Better Place

Directed by Jennifer Fearnley
Synopsis

A Better Place is an in depth look at the toxic legacy of British colonial-era laws, which criminalise consensual same-sex love, while at the same time allowing perpetrators of sexual violence to go unpunished. More than 70 countries still criminalise gay

7:00 pm

The illusion of abundance

Directed by Erika Gonzalez Ramirez, Matthieu Lietaert
Synopsis

Despite a deeply unbalanced game, Maxima, Bertha and Carolina share a common goal: they are leading today's environmental fight against modern corporate conquistadors. Whereas governments and corporations are trapped in a global race to get the cheapest r

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

Ivy Grace

Directed by Allie Delury, Mariah Harkey
Synopsis

A Christian, Republican woman from South Carolina makes a challenging decision following a hypoplastic left heart syndrome diagnosis in a post-Roe v. Wade world.

9:00 pm

The Sun Rises in The East

Directed by Tayo Giwa
Synopsis

The Sun Rises in The East chronicles the birth, rise and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Led by educator and activist Jitu Weusi, The East embodied Black se

Capitol Hill Event

U.S. Capitol Visitor CenterRoom No. SVC 201/200First St., SE, Washington, DC 20515

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

My Empty Chair: The Jerroll Sanders Story

Directed by Andrew Tomlinson, Darnell Singleton
Synopsis

When two top U.S. Treasury Executives set out to steal a $100 million contract from Jerroll Sanders, a Black CEO, things didn’t go the way they planned.

7:00 pm

The Unprincipled

Directed by Joan Montreull
Synopsis

It’s an entanglement of stories portrayed in a documentary movie of how Deirdre Gilbert’s daughter’s life was stolen and how the law of Texas and this country leave average American, hardworking citizens with no recourse and no justice. The corrupt, unscr

9:00 pm

The Poison Garden

Directed by Evellyn Santos, Chris Mancini
Synopsis

It tells the true stories of 3 acts of racial terrorism that occurred in and out of South Florida’s courts in the 1930’s and draws parallels to the problems of law enforcement of today.

Capitol Hill Event

Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2044, Washington, DC

Virtual Film Presentations

1:00 pm

Listed

Directed by Leila Almawy
Synopsis

Listed is a 13-minute documentary film that shares the story of Faizal Karim, a Canadian man falsely flagged on the Canadian No Fly List, a terrorist watch list under the Passenger Protect Program. Through Faizal’s personal account of racial profiling and

7:00 pm

County

Directed by Fahim Hamid
Synopsis

The biggest secret in politics is the smallest office you could possibly run for. "County" is a documentary about County Committee—the fundamental building blocks of our democracy that our political Parties don’t want you to know about—and the activists i

9:00 pm

Just The Truth

Directed by Kevin Caraher
Synopsis

Logline: A newswoman battles powerful political adversaries to solve a murder and to keep journalism, a free press—and truth—alive.  JUST THE TRUTH is a hybrid play and film. It's a political thriller and murder mystery that successfully premiered in live

Busboys & Poets

2021 14th St. NW, Washington, DC

Virtual Whistleblower Summit Panels— [ZOOM] FREE

pre recorded PANEL

Virtual Film Presentation & SHORT FILM BLOCK

12:00 pm

Mystery of Faith & Intention: Bruce Springsteen and I

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Kathy Callahan
Synopsis

Kathy Callahan's short Biographical Film was solicited for submission by "Bruce Springsteen and I" on December 6, 2012.

12:00 pm

Anti-Chevron Day 2022 with Human Rights Lawyer, Steven Donziger

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Peter Menchini
Synopsis

May 21st is Anti-Chevron Day, and this year, human rights lawyer, Steven Donziger joined us at the Chevron refinery in Richmond, CA to show his support. Donziger was the victim of what’s been called the “first corporate criminal prosecution” in the United

12:00 pm

The Rescue

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Tess Cacciatore
Synopsis

THIS SHORT FILM IS A NUCLEUS STORY OF A FEATURE FILM IN THE WORKS CALLED "ROMEO" based on true stories of young women and girls who are being trapped into the largest human rights violation in the world today. This short film titled "The Rescue" showcase

12:00 pm

Rich Appetites: The Foundation

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Ashley Fent
Synopsis

Industrial agriculture has failed to solve hunger, decimated rural communities, and had severe ecological consequences. So why is this model being exported to Africa and promoted in international policy circles? Rich Appetites Film 1: The Foundation is t

1:00 pm

I am Kanaka

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Genevieve Sulway
Synopsis

With a dark history, 5% speaking the native language and 10% living in poverty, Hawaii is in danger of losing its traditions forever. “I am Kanaka” gives a glimpse into the future with Ex-schoolteacher Kaina Makua’s non-profit program teaching Hawaiian l

7:00 pm

Silver Dollar Group of the Ku Klux Klan

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Dianne Andrews
Synopsis

From the 1950s to the 1970s, in Northeastern Louisiana and Southwestern Mississippi, the most heinous sect of the terrorist Klan was formed. They didn't burn crosses or wear hoods. Their symbol was a silver dollar, that members carried on their person at

9:00 pm

On the Merits: Labor Trafficking

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Josh McCausland
Synopsis

Relativity tells the story of how the Human Trafficking Institute, Exiger, technologists, labor advocates, supply chain experts, prosecutors, and survivors are using technology to disrupt human trafficking.

The National Press Club

529 14th St. NW (13th Floor) Washington, DC

Virtual Film Presentation & SHORT FILM BLOCK

12:00 pm

FREE(d) by Faith

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Chase Kinney
Synopsis

When a young man from Fairfield—one of the most dangerous cities in Alabama—grows up without a father figure to form him as a man, how does he find his way out of the poverty, violence, and desperation that surrounds him? FREE(d) by Faith tells the stor

12:00 pm

District Insiders: Former JFK Secret Service Protector Describes Shocking JFK Assassination Security, Current Implications

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Andrew Kreig, Wayne Madsen
Synopsis

Abraham W. Bolden, Sr., the first African American to serve on the White House Secret Service details guarding a president, helped launch the new investigative podcast District Insiders with his powerful memories of President John F. Kennedy including dis

12:00 pm

Counterterror

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Yasmin M Neal
Synopsis

What happens when teachers fight back

12:00 pm

The Rebellion

Short Film Block
/
Directed by Gabriel Hostetler
Synopsis

The Rebellion, written by lawyer/artist Ari Scharg, shines a spotlight on corrupt practices in the legal industry. It finds its roots in the real life $100 million Ponzi scheme perpetuated by celebrity lawyer, Tom Girardi, the husband of Real Housewives o

1:00 pm

Dismissal Time

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by André Joseph
Synopsis

When a black high school student in a reputable prep school becomes the victim of a vicious form of cyberbullying, his history teacher makes it her mission to bring those responsible to task when the administration fails to act. Inspired by true events.

7:00 pm

Unholy Master of Evil

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Tony Moseley
Synopsis

An animated film about a school teacher of special needs children who was the victim of a rape hoax. His life in ruins and unemployed, he slowly animated this film entirely by himself, hoping that it will ultimately help him find justice. The information

9:00 pm

Science for Hire

Virtual Film Presentations
/
Directed by Gary Null, Ph.D.
Synopsis

Science for Hire takes us on a journey through the most critical scientific issues that directly affect our health and well-being, shedding light on the hidden secrets of the scientific, pharmaceutical, and military industrial complexes. Following a long

Summit Schedule

Welcome

Both the Whistleblower Summit and Film Festival are available to view on Film Festival Flix.

The Whistleblower Summit is FREE to attend but you must register.

Tickets for individual films during Whistleblower Film Festival are $19 each. We also offer All Access Passes for the Whistleblower Film Festival for are $149 each ($600 value). For Registration and Tickets go to Film Festival Flix

How to register for WSFF and create your Film Festival Flix account

SUMMIT PANELS

All panels will be available for viewing from their designated start time until August 1 at 11:59 pm EDT

How to access the live Zoom summit panel sessions

Sunday, July 25

12:00 pm Watergate Panel Discussion (Justice Integrity Project)

The 50th anniversary this year of the Pentagon Papers disclosure presents an opportunity for that episode’s leading whistleblower, Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, to assess the disclosure’s historical significance, including its precedent-setting role enabling the revelations of the Watergate era, beginning in early 1972. Although the gist of the Pentagon Papers story is well known, Ellsberg, whose psychiatrist’s office was ransacked by Nixon operatives in a prelude to Watergate, may relish the opportunity to comment on later implications extending to the present. The second part of this panel has the potential to reveal to a broader audience; the deeply shrouded entire history of Watergate, including such fundamental questions as 1: Who ordered the break-in? 2) What were the burglars seeking specifically? 3) Why aren’t the answers to those questions better known?

Panelists:
Andrew Kreig (Moderator)
Barry Susman
Jim Hougan, former Harper’s Magazine Washington, DC Bureau Chief
John O'Connor, attorney for the late FBI executive and presumed Watergate “Deep Throat” Mark Felt

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

This is a video-taped panel presentation

Monday, July 26

10:00 am
Opening Plenary

The Opening Plenary is the formal welcome and introduction of the summit followed by brief remarks by the summit’s hosts, co-hosts and sponsors including the ACORN8, the Pacifica Foundation, the Justice Integrity Project, the Society of Professional Journalists, Project On Government Oversight, the Government Accountability Project, Public Citizen and the National Whistleblower Center.

Panelists:
Marcel Reid, Whistleblower Liaison for Pacifica Foundation
Michael McCray, ACORN 8
Andrew Kreig, Justice Integrity Project,
Randy Showstack, Society of Professional Journalists, DC Chapter
Liz Hemperwitz, Project On Government Oversight
Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project
Siri Nelson, National Whistleblower Center

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

12:00 pmAn Introduction to the House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds

The House Office of the Whistleblower Ombuds is an independent and nonpartisan support office established to advise the House on best practices for working with whistleblowers from the public and private sectors. The Office’s staff will provide an overview of their services and discuss frequently asked questions. While the Office is not authorized to receive whistleblower disclosures, this session will also explore the Office’s publicly available resources that aim to facilitate safe and effective communications between whistleblowers and Congress, as well as other tools that may be of value to the whistleblower community.

Panelists:
Rachel Marshall (Moderator), Legislative Counsel
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA-14) / Staff Contact for the House Whistleblower Protection Caucus
Shanna Devine, Director
Rebecca Jones, Deputy Director
John Whitty, Deputy Director of Operations
Heriberto Arambula, Outreach and Engagement Fellow

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

4:00 pmStudent Debt Crisis (Filmmakers Panel)

SALLIE MAE NOT is the first chapter in an untold story of how the U.S. government set up a system of greed that gutted student loans of consumer protections leading to the skyrocketing cost of tuition and indenturing millions through predatory lending. Alan Collinge, author of The Student Loan Scam, turned from scientist to activist when he was wrongfully thrown into default by Sallie Mae. In 2006 on 60 Minutes, Collinge warned how this same scheme continued to push millions of students, parents, and colleges over the fiscal cliff. Unfortunately, no one paid much attention, and the predatory lending system designed to indenture millions, predominantly women and people of color, remains hiding in plain sight.
The filmmaker and cast offer an informative and politically diverse discussion about the story behind $1.7 trillion in U.S. student loans. Discussion topics to include: challenges and ongoing efforts facing whistleblowers; filmmaker’s journey to distribution, building community and strategy to return fair lending laws and consumer protections in an otherwise predatory lending system that has no brakes; the need for media to cover topic beyond the issue of whether to “cancel student loan debt.”

Panelists:
Michael McCray (Moderator), ACORN 8
Alan Collinge author of the book The Student Loan Scam, , founder StudentLoanJustice.org
Catherine A. Fitts – Former Sallie Mae Board Member, and Solari Report publisher
Jon Oberg – New York Times whistleblower on Department of Education lenders.
Mike Camoin, filmmaker, Sallie Mae Not

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please
click here. (See director statement tab)

5:30 pm Happy Hour (Hosted by Northeast Filmmakers Lab)

Virtual Happy Hour with the “Sallie Mae Not” Filmmakers hosted by Northeast Filmmakers Lab

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

Tuesday, July 27

11:00 amLaw Enforcement Whistleblowers (ACORN 8)

Though Congress is considering legislation to control police abuses, so far the proposals have skipped what is essential for reforms to make a difference: whistleblower protection. Without safe channels to bear witness, the new reforms may be an illusion. State reforms are also taking place, some of which represent the most sweeping law enforcement changes in the last 50 years. This dynamic panel explores law enforcement reforms with a whistleblower, public health and safety, mental health, and civil rights perspective. Panelists will include whistleblowers, activists and advocates with examples of bills that have passed and changed the legal landscape.

Panelists:
Michael McCray (Moderator), ACORN 8
John Hanlon, Former Director, Innocence Project
Dr. Anthony Williams, Pastor of Chicago’s Martin Luther King Community
Church Reverend Lynn R. Mims, Co-founder Barak Christian Church, Hazelwood, MO
Dr. Ben Williams, Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Matthew Fogg, Retired Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

12:00 pm Addressing Discrimination in the Federal Workplace (Coalition For Change, Inc.)

Members of the Coalition For Change, Inc. (C4C), a civil rights group formed to address race discrimination and retaliation in the federal government, will present an engaging overview of the Elijah Cummings Federal Employee Anti-discrimination Act of 2020. The panelists will discuss the origin of the law as well as the provisions of the law that passed on January 1, 2021. Expressly, panelists will address how the Elijah Cummings Federal Employee Anti-discrimination Act of 2020 amends the Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002, and will discuss the critical actions the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission needs to take to enforce effectively antidiscrimination laws.

Panelists:
Joyce Megginson (Moderator), Public Relations Officer for the Coalition for Change
Tanya Ward Jordan, President/Founder of The Coalition For Change
Paulette Taylor, whistleblower, President and Co-founder of the non-profit “Black Females for Justice II, Inc. at the Social Security Administration.

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

4:00 pmWhistleblower Books / Film Distribution (ACORN 8)

This event is a whistleblower summit tradition. Famous and not so famous authors from the MISC community discuss their books and the journey of writing them. This year the panel will discuss the process of writing a whistleblower book, adapting it as a screenplay, producing the film and then getting film distribution.

Panelists:
Michael McCray (Moderator), ACORN 8
Marcel Reid, ACORN 8
JJ Goldberg filmmaker of Stone Mountain, African-American Women In Cinema
Jordan Mattos, Cinemarket* (Film Distributor)

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

* Participating from the Cannes Film Festival

Wednesday, July 28

10:00 am Global Whistleblowing

Chaired by Anna Myers, this panel will present new and emerging developments in international whistleblower rights. Panelists will cover: the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive and its transposition; the ISO 37002 whistleblowing standard for whistleblowing management systems for organizations; IGOs including the UN, the UNCAC, and the C20’s Anti-corruption Working Group; and developments in national whistleblower laws including Serbia, Ukraine, Canada, Iceland, and others.

Panelists:
Anna Myers (Moderator), Government Accountability Project
Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project
Samantha Feinstein, Government Accountability Project
Dr. Wim Vandekerckhove

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)


11:00 am –  Immigration Justice  (Government Accountability Project)

Dana Gold, Senior Counsel at Government Accountability Project, will discuss how immigration whistleblowers have been some of the most effective vehicles to defend and protect the most vulnerable–asylum seekers and immigrants in detention settings. She joins three of the most significant whistleblowers who spoke up about the harms to immigrants in detention: Dawn Wooten, a nurse whose brave disclosures about medical misconduct at Irwin County Detention Center, went viral, including the failure to protect detainees and staff from COVID-19, and women detainees undergoing unnecessary, non-consensual gynecological procedures; and Drs. Scott Allen and Pamela McPherson, medical and mental health experts in detention health for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, both recognized as heroes for disclosing systematic failures witnessed during their inspections of family detention centers that increase the foreseeable risk of harm to migrant children and families in detention.

Panelists:
Dana Gold (Moderator), Government Accountability Project
Dawn Wooten, Nurse and Whistleblower
Dr. Scott Allen, Detention health expert and Whistleblower
Dr. Pamela McPherson, Detention health expert and Whistleblower

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)


12:00 pm –  Guardianship Abuses (T.S. Networks)

We will discuss the Guardianship system, the legal and psychological abuse the victim is subjected to, and what changes are needed. The legislation that has passed along with pending legislation both national and international guardianship issues. We will discuss the predatory nature of guardianship and the prosecution of the predators.  Many do not know that Guardianship is the loss of all legal capacity.  It is now coming to the public's attention with the recent Britney Spears case.  But this has been an ongoing issue for decades.  And our panel of advocates and victims has been at the forefront of seeking justice for well over a decade.

In coordination with the National Association to Stop Guardian Abuse (NASGA) we have contributed to legislation, met with senators and representatives, and publicly exposed the issues for more than a decade via the radio shows and numerous articles and multiple web pages. We are now actively working with groups internationally who are encountering the same issues and we are forming a global coalition.  We have created a platform for those victimized, their families and friends, to give them a voice.

Panelists:
Marti Oakely, Activist and advocate on issues of guardianship abuse
Marsha Joiner, Family member of abuse victim
Christine (Kris) Dallas, with the Australian Association to STOP Guardianship & Administration Abuse
Coz Whitten-Skaife, Family member of abuse victim
Mary Witten, Liaison for the National Association to Stop
Guardian Abuse (NASGA)

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

4:00 pm Music Industry Whistleblowers

This panel discussion will be about the music industry’s first missteps during the Disco era. It also reveals how Atlanta became the most relevant market for launching new artists, new songs, and quality entertainment.

Panelists:
Terra Renee (Moderator), African-American Women In Cinema
Steven Rhim. A DJ and founder of the Atlanta Underground Record Pool
Calvin Dupree, Ring Master of the famous Universoul Circus
Brian Lassiter, Independent consultant to music labels and artists

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

Thursday, July 29

10:00 amSystemic Discrimination at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA Coalition of Minority Employees)

The USDA has long used the terms “socially disadvantaged” and “historically underserved” to describe some farmers. Many call USDA “the peoples’ department,” but we refer to it more accurately as “the last plantation.” While on the surface, the class action suits PIGFORD I and II would suggest that things have improved and that minority farmers prevailed, we believe that nothing has changed. Under Secretary Tom Vilsack, who served two terms under President Obama, there is substantial evidence that institutional racism, sexism, and other abusive behavior discrimination went unchanged. Some will tell you that their Civil Rights administration is the best ever at the USDA. Unfortunately, facts differ from that false narrative. A current example of civil rights offenses is the USDA Forest Service, western division, in which harassment and sexual perpetrations continue. This panel provides an update on the dysfunctional behavior within the Office of Civil Rights and how farmers and employees continue to be harmed.

Panelists:
Lawrence Lucas (Moderator) former President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Tracy Lloyd McCurty, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Black Belt Justice Center
Lesa Donnelly, Vice President of the USDA Coalition of Minority Employees
Emma Scott, Instructor at the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic
Nathan Rosenberg, visiting scholar at the Harvard Food Law and Policy Clinic and an adjunct professor at the University of Iowa College of Law.

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

11:00 am Working Effectively with the Office of Special Counsel (Government Accountability Project)

The goal for this workshop is to help whistleblowers learn the realistic expectations when seeking help from the OSC and how most effectively to obtain it. By better understanding, the OSC’s procedures, limitations and the full range of ways it can help, whistleblowers can reduce frustration and increase the support they receive. The panel also will highlight the OSC’s dedicated unit for COVID 19 whistleblowers.

Panelists:
Tom Devine JD, Legal Director, Government Accountability Project
Anne Gullick, U.S.,Office of Special Counsel – investigations and actions against retaliation
Jacob Land, Office of Special Counsel – Whistleblowing disclosures
Whitney Sisco, Office of Special Counsel – Alternative Disputes Resolution

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

12:00 pm Ramifications of the Pentagon Papers—Today!

On July 3, 1971 the New York Times published what is now known as the Pentagon Papers, which prompted a series of events that ultimately resulted in the resignation of Richard Nixon and changed the landscape on American journalism due to a landmark decision on freedom of the press. This informative panel will examine the long-term impact of the publishing of the Pentagon Papers on free speech, whistleblowing, investigative journalism and American society overall.

Panelists:
Gene Policinski (Moderator), Senior Fellow at the Freedom Forum
Mark S. Zaid, Attorney representing whistleblowers and the media
Lynn Oberlander, Media attorney at Ballard Spahr
Eleanor Clift, Political columnist for the Daily Beast
Kenneth Jost (Invited), Journalist and author covering legal affairs

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

4:00 pmWorking with Congress (Government Accountability Project)

The goal for this workshop is analogous to that for the OSC panel – grounding in realistic expectations and tactics for best obtaining support, and success stories that illustrate the potential. It also will include an introduction to the impressive body of work to help whistleblowers most effectively navigate Congress from the House Office of Whistleblower Ombuds during its first year. Finally, it will review the most significant of 36 campaigns by the Make It Safe Coalition this Congress for stronger free speech laws, including – 1) the Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act to finish the work left undone in the 2012 Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act.

This Congress is our campaign for the final teeth that finally make the WPA a credible free speech shield. 2) Covid 19 WPA – to provide more teeth for all contractor whistleblowers, such as protection against civil and criminal liability. 3) Law enforcement whistleblower protections to enforce new controls on police abuses; 4) Overhaul of the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Accountability and Whistleblower Protection; 5) Restoration and upgrade of corporate whistleblower rights in the Dodd Frank Act; and 6) makeover of Intelligence Community whistleblower rights. Panelists will come from staff who are on the front lines of working relationships with whistleblowers. Invited panelists will come from a pool that includes staff from the House and Senate Whistleblower Caucuses, the House Whistleblower Ombuds, and from the minority and majority staffs of the congressional committees that oversee the WPA — Senate Homeland Security Committee and House Committee on Oversight and Reform.


Panelists:
Tom Devine (Moderator)
Rachel Marshall – Senator Jackie Speier’s Office
Danny Boatright – Senator Grassley’s Office and Judiciary Committee
Shanna Devine – Director, House Office of Whistleblower Ombuds

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

Friday, July 30

11:00 am Closing Plenary / Pillar Awards Presentation

The Closing Plenary provides an opportunity for summit hosts and stakeholders to celebrate National Whistleblower Appreciation Day and present the coveted Pillar Awards. The Pillar Award presentation is an annual ceremony celebrating notable First Amendment, Civil Rights and Human Rights champions. The closing plenary will be followed by a keynote presentation from Daniel Ellsberg.

Shaw / Pillar Award Presented by National Whistleblower Center
Marcel Reid - Presenter Pillar Recipients 2021
Michael McCray – Co-Presenter Pillar Recipients 2021

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

Special Thanks to Government Accountability Project for Providing Pillar Awards


12:00 pm Keynote (Daniel Ellsberg)

Keynote presentation from Dr. Ellsberg, a former Defense Department aide and the co-author and the primary whistleblower in the disclosure of the Pentagon Papers, a classified history of the policy decisions that led to U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. These papers were reported publicly on July 1, 1971, first by the New York Times. The federal government indicted Ellsberg on for theft of government property and violation of the espionage act but the indictments were later dismissed because of government lawbreaking in trying to collect information on the defendant.

Panelists:
Dr. Daniel Ellsberg, Whistleblower of the Pentagon Papers

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

4:00 pmMost Dangerous Man in America (Filmmakers Panel)

Panel discussion with the documentary filmmakers. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a leading Vietnam War strategist in the Pentagon, concluded that America’s role in the war was based on decades of lies. He copied and leaked 7,000 pages of top-secret documents to The New York Times and then to The Washington Post. The daring and conscientious activities of whistleblowers and journalists during these times led to Watergate, President Nixon’s resignation and the end of the Vietnam War, and a Supreme Court ruling expanding press freedom.

Film Screening Presented by Government Accountability Project

Panelists:
Michael McCray (Moderator), ACORN 8
Rick Goldsmith filmmaker of The Most Dangerous Man in America
Judith Ehrlich filmmaker of The Most Dangerous Man in America
Tom Devine, Government Accountability Project

For more information, speaker bios, etc. please click here. (See director statement tab)

FILM SCREENINGS

Each film will be available at the scheduled release time and date (see below) – and will be available for viewing for 72 hours after the individual release window.


Friday, July 23

1:00 pm – Protest | Justice for George Floyd; and Defense Contract (Short Block)

7:00 pm -- Giving Voice: A Black Lives Matter Musical

9:00 pm - The New Abolitionists

Saturday, July 24

1:00 pm – I ELECT: Power Every Four Years

7:00 pm – Chicago: America's Hidden War

9:00 pm – Frenemies

Sunday, July 25


12:00 pm – Watergate Discussion Panel

1:00 pm – The Zoom Call

7:00 pm – All is one. Except 0.

9:00 pm – Medicating Normal

Monday, July 26

1:00 pm – Sallie Mae Not

7:00 pm – Line in the Street -  a Film About Gerrymandering

9:00 pm – We Want the Airwaves

Tuesday, July 27

1:00 pm – "A Layman in Pursuit of Justice" Black Farmers Fight Against USDA

7:00 pm – The Son

9:00 pm – This is My Brave

Wednesday, July 28

1:00 pm – SPARK: A Systemic Racism Story

7:00 pm – The Breast Kept Secret: A Breast Expose'

9:00 pm – Trapped: Cash Bail in America

Thursday, July 29

1:00 pm – Turkey: Breaking the Silence

7:00 pm – Homeopathy Unrefuted?

9:00 pm – UNDER THREAT

Friday, July 30

1:00 pm – A Place in the World

7:00 pm – Last Call for Tomorrow

9:00 pm – The Most Dangerous Man In America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers

Saturday, July 31

1:00 pm – Oversight

7:00 pm – JUNGLE CRY

9:00 pm – Dirty Banking

Sunday, August 1

1:00 pm – Four Motherless Children

7:00 pm – A crime in book fair  (Short Block)

9:00 pm – Father, daughter and old woman  (Short Block)

We are beginning the promotional rollout for the Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival and want to inform you of the schedule for the summit panels and film screenings. Please share this information with your friends, family and networks.

For More information about the Virtual Film Festival platform, click here.

The ticket box office “Now Open” and available

Speak Truth to Power

You can help give more power and voice to whistleblowers by supporting the Whistleblower Summit & Film Festival. You will be helping to highlight civil and human rights violations across the globe. Call us at (870) 543-0024 or email us at mccray.michael@gmail.com.

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