A Mother Apart — Durango | Everyday Democracy Series

About the Film

In this intimate and deeply human story, Jamaican-American poet Staceyann Chin goes searching for the mother who left her behind—and, in the process, reimagines what mothering can be. Her journey spans Brooklyn, Montreal, Cologne, and Jamaica, weaving together memory, longing, forgiveness, and fierce love. Along the way, Staceyann builds a new kind of home with her young daughter—one rooted not in bloodline, but in chosen family, courage, and care.

Watch the trailer here.

This powerful film invites us to reflect on the stories we inherit, the ones we lose, and the ones we create for ourselves.

After the Screening

Following the film, participants will gather in self-facilitated small groups for conversation and reflection on lineage, identity, and the stories that shape us—and how we choose to carry them forward.

These conversations are designed to foster listening, curiosity, and compassion across different life experiences.

Snacks and drinks provided.

This event is produced with support from Fort Lewis College.

About the Series

This event is part of Everyday Democracy: Stories That Build Us, a community film and conversation series from Rocky Mountain Public Media’s Above the Noise initiative.

The series creates space for something essential: people talking to people about the real stuff of life—everyday experiences like care, work, belonging, childhood, and access to information that shape how we see the world and how we participate in it.

Across three months, Everyday Democracy presents four beautifully crafted films (that friends can find on the RMPBS+ app), each followed by small-group conversations that help build connection across differences and deepen our understanding of one another’s stories.

Above the Noise is Rocky Mountain Public Media’s statewide civic-dialogue series that brings Coloradans together—in person and online—to listen, reflect, and connect. This initiative is part of RMPM’s broader Statewide Civic Engagement effort to strengthen trust, empathy, and participation across all 64 counties of Colorado.