Join us for a talk with filmmaker Mimi Chakarova and producer Aisha Knowles as they discuss the making of The Apology.

In 1963, officials in Alameda County began hearings to discuss the forced removal of Russell City, an unincorporated area home to predominantly Black and Latino residents. Sixty years later, the City of Hayward formally recognized the impact of the forced removal and issued a formal apology to Russell City residents.

Award-winning filmmaker Mimi Chakarova's feature-length documentary The Apology follows the stories of two dozen Russell City residents and their descendants while exploring the significance of making amends for a past that shouldn't be forgotten.

Mimi Chakarova, Filmmaker

As an independent filmmaker, Mimi Chakarova has covered global issues examining conflict, corruption and the sex trade. Her film “The Price of Sex,” a feature-length documentary on the trafficking of women was awarded the Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in New York. She was also the winner of the prestigious Daniel Pearl Award for Outstanding International Investigative Reporting and a Dart Awards Finalist for Excellence in Coverage of Trauma. Chakarova went on to direct, shoot and produce six other feature documentaries, completed by her own production company, A Moment in Time Productions. Chakarova is the founder and creative director of "Still I Rise Films," a documentary series about resilience and rising above the odds.

Aisha Knowles, Producer

Aisha Knowles grew up with questions about Russell City. She and her sisters would regularly attend the Russell City reunions at Kennedy Park. Their grandmother, Fannie, and dad, James Knowles, told the girls to sit still on the picnic blanket and to behave. Aisha had plenty of time to observe. She watched her dad as he embraced his childhood friends, memories of a place no more washing over the picnic area.

Aisha wanted to be an investigative journalist when she grew up. It’s to no surprise that The Apology was her inception. She and her sister Aiyana convinced their dad to go on camera to tell his story. He was the first. Soon, others followed suit.

In addition to producing this documentary, Aisha works full time as the Public Affairs Manager at the Fremont Fire Department. She devoted 15 years of service to the Alameda County Fire Department and was the first woman to hold the position of Public Information and Community Relations Officer. Aisha has served three terms as Board President of the Alameda County Board of Education. In 2015, Aisha became the first black President of the Rotary Club of San Leandro. She's currently serving a second term as President and remains the only Black person to hold the role over the course of the Club’s 96-year history. She is a Bay Area Youth Agency Consortium Americorps alumni, completing the 49ers Academy in East Palo Alto.

Aisha Knowles studied Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and participated in Rotary International service projects in Guatemala and Honduras.Aisha Knowles studied Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley and participated in Rotary International service projects in Guatemala and Honduras.