Chronicles the recurring patterns of disenfranchisement witnessed from
2000 to 2004 while following the story of Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia
McKinney, who not only took an active role in investigating these
election debacles but also found herself in the middle of one after
publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9-11 terrorist
attacks. Some call Cynthia McKinney a civil rights leader among the
ranks of Shirley Chisholm and Malcolm X. Others call her a conspiracy
theorist and a ‘looney.’ American Blackout gains unprecedented access
to one of the most controversial and dangerous politicians in America
and examines the contemporary tactics used to control our democratic
process and silence political dissent. The film features interviews
with: US Congressional Representatives, John Lewis, Cynthia McKinney,
John Conyers, Bernie Sanders, and Stephanie Tubbs-Jones; former US
Civil Rights Commissioner & Dean of UC Berkeley’s School of Law,
Christopher Edley; BBC journalist Greg Palast; and, Van Jones,
Executive Director of the Ella Baker Center