A Frontline Close To Home

July 8, 2013 Erik Ernst Leave a Comment

Watch Frontline: Two American Families at 9 p.m. Tuesday, July 9 on Wisconsin Public Television.

This week’s Frontline broadcast hits close to home for families living in Wisconsin who have struggled with unemployment and the effects of the economic downturn that has hit the state during the past decade. Over the past 20 year, Bill Moyers has introduced public television viewers to two families in Milwaukee – one white and one black – who faced loss of jobs and the challenges of poverty as they worked hard to keep their homes, health care and basic necessities of life while instilling the promise of hard work to their children.

Now, Frontline goes back to see where the Neumanns and Stanleys are as they near the age where many Americans begin thinking about retirement. It’s an amazingly personal portrait of heartbreak and joy, as we see the strength and courage of these two families in the face of overwhelming personal hardships.

Watch a sneak preview of an extended piece of the documentary below and tune in to the powerful documentary Tuesday night. Then, log on Wednesday at 1 p.m. for an exclusive online chat with the film’s producers, Kathleen Hughes and Tom Casciato, and Keith Stanley, a family member featured in the film and the clip below.

Watch The Stanleys’ Struggle for Survival on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE/World.