NAACP Youth Council advisor James Groppi marching to protest housing discrimination
The film begins with the breaking of a communion wafer. It’s subject is a priest who understood communion as unity and fellowship expanding across the barriers of social injustice. When Hell Freezes Over: The Story of Father James Groppi remembers the work of Milwaukee’s storied civil rights activist. Groppi wasn’t content to denounce racism from the pulpit of his inner city Roman Catholic parish. He helped lead and became a prominent face of the struggle.
“Groppi’s story has a personal and local connection that should resonate with today’s social activism,” says Kevin Rutkowski, director of the documentary along with his wife and longtime collaborator Lora Nigro. “Being raised in an Italian family in Bayview during the sixties, I was aware of his impact and controversy he stirred within the community. We would like to introduce one of the great historical figures of the civil rights movement and Milwaukee to a new generation.”
The Milwaukee filmmakers are drawing from a wealth of still photographs including shots of Groppi leading largely African American protesters into whites-only neighborhoods and the angry white response. One man held a sign reading: “Father Groppi Rest in Hell.”
“Fighting for social justice requires stepping outside of one’s ‘tribe’ or comfort zone, the default lens through which most of us form our opinions. This is where empathy, the tool of activism comes in. Whether that tribe is race, gender, religious or political affiliation, the practical reason to champion the “least of our brethren” is that each of us could potentially find ourselves in that category. In that way it’s not merely moral or just, it is self-preservation,” Rutkowski says.
Groppi worked in tandem with a group with a provocative name, The Commandos. The NAACP group engaged in social outreach and included a children’s choir and an adult vocal group that sang at rallies in Milwaukee and around the Midwest. “There are existing recordings that have been transferred to various media throughout the years. We’re hoping to incorporate it into the film,” Nigro says, adding that they have interviewed Groppi’s widow, Margaret Rozga (he married after leaving the priesthood) “and some of the Commandos who offered to put us in touch with others that worked closely with him.”
In the aftermath of the 1960s, Groppi drove a bus for the Milwaukee County Transit System. “Our documentary is focused on the man behind the collar. We’re interested in what sparked him to act throughout his whole life. He seemed to have much to lose and little to gain. We hope to capture those 55 years of service,” Rutkowski says.
The documentary will be completed later this year. To watch the trailer for When Hell Freezes Over, visit https://youtu.be/GB4wnmew0Qs
