You could have heard a pin drop as the audience at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute raptly watched A Powerful Noise. But the impact of the film on the audience was anything but quiet.

A Powerful Noise, an award winning film that was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival, shares the stories of three phenomenal women and how they have risen to overcome barriers to stand up and be a voice in their societies. Their amazing stories truly confirm that ONE person really can make a difference!

Filmgoers took the film’s empowering message as a call to action. First on the agenda was a chance to stand in unity with millions worldwide and participate in the UN Millennium Campaign’s world record attempt for the most people ever to Stand Up Against Poverty and for the Millennium Development Goals. Birmingham ONE member Suzanne Martin reprised her role as leader for the third year in a row and led the group in reciting the Stand Up! pledge.

Several organizations were represented at the event’s action tables – ONE, Bread for the World, CARE, UNA, Church World Service, Oxfam, and Empower Alabama provided attendees with additional resources for action. Before adjourning everyone was invited to sign onto a letter to the next President asking him to make fighting global poverty a central part of his foreign policy agenda.

The subtitle of A Powerful Noise” is “The Impact of One Voice. The Power of Many.” – perfectly describing the work of ONE and public policy advocacy.

-Elaine VanCleave, ONE Birmingham