The Alabama Solution! Free Screening Featuring Filmmakers and Discussion

Presented by PATOIS, Voice Of The Experienced (VOTE), Promise of Justice Initiative, Innocence & Justice Louisiana, and Black Men Build Bulbancha.

The Alabama Solution is the story of organizing inside Alabama’s prisons, told by the prisoners, and filmed on their contraband cell phones. Featuring a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers and formerly incarcerated organizers from Alabama. Sunday, November 16, 4:00pm, The Broad Theater.

SPEAKERS:

Alelur “Alex” Duran is a co-producer of the film “The Alabama Solution”, as well as a Program Director at Galaxy Gives overseeing its Criminal Justice Reform portfolio. He previously served as a program specialist with the Open Society Foundations supporting grant-making efforts tackling mass incarceration in the United States.

Alex’s entry point into philanthropy began at the Ford Foundation as a business associate advancing its mission of addressing inequality in all its manifestations.

Prior to joining Ford, he worked at the Center for Community Alternatives, where he provided counseling for men and women involved with the justice system and helped the agency execute its broader justice reform strategy. At CCA, Alex became a spokesperson in support of efforts to raise the age of criminal responsibility for adolescents in New York State. His passion to dismantle systems of oppression come from having been impacted by the criminal legal system at a young age and being sentenced to 14 years in Pr*son. He has a BA from Bard College. His thesis, “Gang Exportation and the Reproduction of Violence: The Trinitarios in the Crucible of Mass Incarceration,” provided a case study on how mass incarceration in the United States contributes to deviance amplification and the expansion of gangs to other countries. A lover of history, Alex grew up in the boogie-down Bronx, New York.

Eric Buchannon Sr, featured in the film “The Alabama Solution”, is a passionate community leader, mentor and faith based advocate dedicated to transforming lives and building stronger communities. With a heart for service and a powerful testimony of redemption, he has devoted his life to helping others rise above adversity and find purpose through faith, determination and community engagement.

Eric is deeply involved in several impactful mentoring and community development initiatives, including Determined 2Be Birmingham, Community Care Development, Offender Alumni Association, and Heroes in the Hood. Through these programs, he works tirelessly to guide, inspire, and uplift men, women and youth to reach their full potential. As part of Chaplain Curtis Browder Ministries and his active role in Pr*son ministry, Eric brings encouragement and spiritual guidance to those seeking transformation and hope beyond incarceration. Eric’s life and work stand as a testimony that change is possible, faith is powerful, and together we can build stronger, more compassionate communities.

Danny Dandridge is the founder of The Fisherman Project and a community advocate featured in the HBO Max Documentary, “The Alabama Solution”. He is dedicated to youth development and workforce training in his community.

Antonia and Clara Brooks are the mother and sister, respectively, of Melvin Ray, one of the main protagonists of the HBO documentary “The Alabama Solution”. Melvin Ray, AKA Bennu Hannibal Ra-Sun is one of the nation's most prominent incarcerated organizers and a co-founder of the Free Alabama Movement aka F.A.M. Through F.A.M., Melvin has led countless protests, strikes, and online campaigns both inside and outside the walls of the Alabama Pr*son system, fighting for sentencing reform, labor rights, parole reform, and basic human rights for men and women incarcerated across the nation. His work has been recognized by national and international media, including features on Vice, Al Jazeera, and, most recently, in the 2025 HBO documentary, The Alabama Solution. The Alabama Department of Corrections has retaliated against Bennu for his work, but he continues to organize and support other men in challenging unjust convictions and living conditions through legal filings and peaceful protest. Outside of his organizing work, Bennu is fighting to earn a chance at freedom. Bennu has been incarcerated for most of his adult life. He was first incarcerated in 1988, when he was 16 years old, and is currently serving a life without parole sentence for M**der. He is currently pursuing legal avenues to have his case and sentencing reviewed to earn his freedom. Antonia (Ann) and Clara have both been leaders of the outside in organizing and supporting Melvin and his work, and Ann was also a key leader in grassroots organizing efforts in support of the Free Alabama Movement.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher PATOIS: New Orleans International Human Rights Film Festival