On Wednesday, November 10, the University of Chicago Program on the Global Environment, the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture, the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and the Environmental Law Society will host the viewing of “The Return of Navajo Boy.” In this documentary, director Jeff Spitz examines the remnants of environmental hazards, such as uranium contamination, in Navajo land as a result of the atomic age. The movie chronicles the tale of Elsie Begay, a Navajo grandmother. Here is a trailer from the film:
The story of Elsie Begay was also told in Judy Pasternak’s recent book, "Yellow Dirt: An American Story of a Poisoned Land and a People Betrayed.” Judy Pasternak discusses the concept of “yellow dirt” in the following:
