'Stockton on My Mind': Release date, plot, trailer and all you need to know about HBO's documentary on America's youngest mayor
In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man at the hands of Minneapolis police officer, it had become clear that when it comes to representation and equality, the United States is sorely lacking. Systemic racism has led to discrimination in all strata of society — the more you read about communities that fare poorly, the more you come to know of racism's role in the process.
Stockton in California is one such city where its present Mayor, Michael Tubbs, was the youngest and the first African-American to be elected as mayor for the city. Tubbs' radical policies helped transform the city from being one of the poorest, most violent and least literate in the nation to a prosperous one. A new HBO documentary, 'Stockton on My Mind' looks into Tubbs' mission to bring prosperity to the city and his upbringing that helped shaped him.
Release date
'Stockton on My Mind' will air on HBO at 9 pm ET and will be available to stream on HBO Max from July 29.
Plot
At age 26, on the same day Donald Trump was elected in 2016, Michael Tubbs became the first African American mayor of his beleaguered hometown of Stockton, California, as well as the youngest mayor of a major American city. 'Stockton On My Mind', from filmmaker Marc Levin, follows Tubbs' personal and political journey, exploring how growing up amid poverty and violence shaped his vision for innovative change.
Born to a teenage mother and a father in prison, Tubbs felt society destined him for either prison or death. Defying expectations, he received a scholarship to Stanford University and returned home to Stockton to "Upset the Set-Up", serving first on the city council and then running for mayor. Now, Tubbs is launching some of the boldest social and economic policy experiments in the country in an effort to lift up his city of 300,000 residents, and turning it into a kind of social policy incubator.
'Stockton On My Mind' weaves the Mayor's story together with an extraordinary group of people living in Stockton, some of whose stories echo Tubbs' own experience, and many of whom are working alongside him to reinvent the city. Yet, change is hard, and there are many headwinds to contend with.
Cast
Michael Tubbs
Michael Tubbs is the youngest mayor in the history of the US to represent a city with a population of more than 300,000 residents. Tubbs was elected to serve as the mayor of the City of Stockton, California, and took office in January 2017.
Tubbs has secured over $20 million in philanthropic capital to launch the Stockton Scholars, a place-based scholarship that aims to triple the number of Stockton students entering and graduating from college. Tubbs also brought Advance Peace to Stockton, a data-driven program that works to reduce gun violence in communities. Additionally, with an innovative public-private partnership supported by a $1,000,000 seed grant from the Economic Security Project, Tubbs launched the nation’s first municipal-level basic income pilot, the Stockton Economic Empowerment Demonstration.
Tubbs graduated from Stanford University in 2012 with a bachelor's and master's degree with honors. He has been a college course instructor for Aspire Public Schools and a Fellow at the Stanford Institute of Design and the Emerson Collective. He is a Stockton native and product of Stockton public schools.
Director
Marc Levin
Marc Levin is an independent filmmaker whose honors include the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, four Emmys and four DuPont-Columbia Awards. His credits include HBO’s 'One Nation Under Stress' and 'Class Divide', CNN’s 'Chicagoland' and Sundance's 'Brick City'.
Trailer
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