Filmmaker Cami Thomas, 'Big Questions' Series

Catch filmmaker Cami Thomas diving into 'big questions' and storytelling for connection, organizing, and tangible community impact. Cami Thomas uses storytelling as tools for connection, organizing, and tangible community impact. Join us on Thursday, April 8th at 1: 30pm in Sverdrup 123 to hear from this changemaker about her experience creating with the documentary Red Brick Blue Tarp which documents the aftermath (of the massive and rainwrapped EF3 tornado that tore through St. Louis on May 16, 2025) left behind in a historically Black and divested community forced to lead its own recovery. Directed by Cami Thomas of My Friends and I and produced by the disaster relief organization 314 Oasis, the short documentary combines firsthand testimony, poetry, music, and on-the-ground footage. It captures residents and community members turned first responders as they recount the chaos of the storm, the failures of institutional recovery, and the collective effort to rebuild when help did not arrive fast enough. Both a memorial and a warning, Red Brick Blue Tarp examines how disaster exposes long-standing inequities while asking a question facing communities across the country: if catastrophe struck tomorrow, would your neighborhood be prepared to lead its own survival? Stills from Red Brick Blue Tarp on view from January 15-May 15, 2027 on first floor of Sverdrup Building at 8300 Big Bend Blvd, Webster Groves, MO 63119 and in Emerson Library Rm 120 at 101 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves, MO 63119. A collaborative event between the Kooyumjian Gallery and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences "Big Questions" Series and the Emerson Library.