Atomic Legacy on Route 66: Film Screening and Discussion Program

The Flagstaff Public Library is co-hosting a free event highlighting the new historical documentary series, The Atomic Legacy on Route 66. All are invited on Tuesday, October 22 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

This event will involve the screening of short films, a panel discussion, and interactive activities for the audience. Led by documentarian Katrina Parks and a team of humanities experts, the Atomic Legacy project captures the untold stories of individuals affected by the American nuclear industry, particularly those in the Southwestern and Indigenous communities along Route 66. In particular, the project focuses on Arizona and New Mexico communities, where nuclear activities have left a lasting imprint.

The project will foster a more inclusive historical record by engaging audiences through screening and discussion programs and ongoing history education activities. The October 22nd event includes the screening of three short films, a panel discussion with film subjects and the filmmaker, and interactive activities related to the film’s content geared towards a high school and adult audience.

Panelists include Bertha Nez, Edith Hood, and Jennifer Nez of the Red Water Pond Community in the Navajo Nation, who are working to remove a uranium tailings pile from their sacred homeland and to spread awareness about the 1979 Church Rock Nuclear Disaster.

Other films center on the story of panelist, Mark SooHoo, who grew up in Winslow and went on to work for the International Atomic Energy Agency, and Thomas Walton, who worked in uranium mining alongside his brother-in-law, a geologist. (Both faced many health-related consequences from their work.)

This program is made possible with support from Arizona Humanities (AH), the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Road Ahead Partnership, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Flagstaff Public Library.