Mommy Brain

(Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook was provided to me by Special Ops Media for the purpose of this feature.)

“What they did to my sister Patty and to the other children was horrifying. For me, Willowbrook is a perpetual mourning.” ~Kate Meskell

It was a nightmare that shocked not only New York, but all of America. The public outcry about the Willowbrook State School for people with developmental disabilities resulted from Geraldo Rivera’s expose after he had entered Willowbrook with a film crew in 1972, using a stolen key. Unforgotten takes us on a tour of the facilities and interviews residents and their families about the inhumane treatment that shocked our nation.

“The integration of the developmentally disabled into mainstream society; I think that is the triumph of the Willowbrook saga.” ~Geraldo Rivera

I haven’t had time to watch Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook yet, but I didn’t want to wait to long to mention it here. This documentary was what started Geraldo Rivera on his career in journalism. It won the National Educational Media Network’s Gold Apple Award and was an Official Selection at the Chicago International Film Festival.

Unforgotten: Twenty-Five Years After Willowbrook will be available on DVD on September 30th.