Did you know Grand Rapids was the first city in the nation to fluoridate its public water supply? In 1945, Grand Rapids became the first city in the nation to add fluoride to its public water supply — widely heralded as a public-health milestone that would ripple across hundreds of communities nationwide. Tonight, Feb. 9, that legacy comes full circle as a new documentary asks a provocative question: Did fluoridation help reshape democracy in small-town America?
The Midwest premiere of Dysmocracy: The Fight Over Fluoride screens tonight at 7 p.m. on the Calvin University campus, followed by a live, interactive discussion with the filmmakers. Produced by Seattle-based Block by Block Films, the documentary uses the fluoridation debate as a lens to examine political polarization, public trust, and the strain placed on local democratic institutions.
The film centers on Port Angeles, Washington, where a routine renewal of the city’s fluoridation contract ignited years of bitter conflict. What began as a public-health policy dispute escalated into packed city council meetings, activist pressure campaigns, and deep divisions that nearly paralyzed local government. As the local newspaper observed at the height of the turmoil, the issue had grown “beyond fluoridation to the question of whether democracy works.”
Shot over seven years, Dysmocracy weaves together the perspectives of activists, public-health officials, journalists, elected leaders, and everyday residents, resisting easy villains or heroes. Instead, it confronts viewers with uncomfortable questions that echo far beyond fluoride: How do communities make decisions when they don’t agree on what’s true? How far should activism go? And what happens when trust in institutions — and each other — breaks down?
Director Jordan Melograna and journalist-producer Christa Hillstrom will guide audience participation throughout the screening, inviting real-time reactions and dialogue. The interactive format is designed to pull viewers out of ideological comfort zones and into a broader conversation about how democracy functions — or falters — under pressure.
The screening is sponsored by the Henry Institute for the Study of Christianity and Politics and the Calvin Center for Christian Scholarship. Check out the trailer for the film HERE.
Those interested in attending can do so tonight, Sunday, February 9, at 7 p.m. at Calvin University’s DeVos Communication Center. The screening will take place in the Bytwerk Theater (Room DC-015), located at 1810 East Beltline Ave. SE in Grand Rapids.
Original article online at: https://www.grmag.com/education-1/new-film-reexamines-grand-rapids-role-in-water-fluoridation/