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Red Bank library fosters conversation about race through film

RED BANK Striving to promote conversations about ethnicity, the Red Bank Public Library’s “Let’s Talk About Race” program held a film discussion event.

The program showed the 2016 documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” when more than 20 locals attended the film discussion event and were given refreshments, on Sept. 27, at the Red Bank Public Library’s meeting room, located at 84 West Front St.

“It is a great program and like everything else at the library, it is free. In a continuing effort to promote a harmonious community, my goal when I started the program, was that the Red Bank Public Library would be at the forefront of conversation regarding race relations. Since it was to be a library program, I wanted to evoke discussion by exploring race, cultural identity and class in the context of literary works,” Linda Hewitt said, the library’s circulation supervisor/ outreach and program coordinator.

The series was led by local educator, author, activist Gilda Rogers with a presentation from Citizens for a Free Diverse and Open Society, a group of local residents that started meeting in the fall of 2015 to confront race head on. Led by author, Sid Bernstein, whose book “America: A Country in Search of a New Dream,” spawned the ongoing conversation of the first program, according to Hewitt.

The program began in August 2015 and is held on the last Wednesday of each month, according to Hewitt.

“After I viewed [the film] this summer with the ‘Let’s Talk About Race’ moderator, Patty Whyte, we decided that this powerful film was ideal to be shown for the program, followed by discussion. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, the film is a documentary that uses James Baldwin’s insights to illuminate our own current reality. The movie, disturbing at times, makes you think about race and its effect on our country,” Hewitt said.

The documentary “I Am Not Your Negro” is based on the 30 page unfinished book “Remember This House” that was written by writer James Baldwin. The film was directed by Raoul Peck, according to the event moderator Tim Clark.

Before showing the documentary, Clark read a famous quote that Baldwin wrote in his unfinished book, to which he said, “The story of the negro in America is the story of America. It is not a pretty story.”

Using archive footage, the film showed interviews Baldwin did throughout 1960s when he lectured and debated about the racial inequalities African-Americans endure in the United States. The film also showed footage and photos during the civil rights movements, while also using clips from of various movies.

Throughout the film Baldwin spoke about his admiration and personal relationships with Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Jr., African-American Muslim Minister and Activist Malcolm X, and Civil Rights Activist Medgar Evers.

In a section of the film titled “Paying My Dues” Baldwin said he was living in Paris, France at the start of the civil rights movement and that he could no longer ignore the race relations issues that were occurring in the United States.

Baldwin spoke about where he was when Evers, Malcolm X, and Luther were assassinated and how angry and sad it made him feel learning about their deaths. In the film, archive footage of Luther, Evers and Malcolm X’s funerals were shown along with historic photos showing how they were killed.

In a section of the film titled “Witness,” Baldwin talked about the duty he felt as a witness of the protests that were taking place in the South and North during the civil rights movement. As a writer and orator Baldwin used his platform to help narrate the issues African American were fighting to achieve during the movement. The film showed that because of Baldwin writings about the movement, the FBI had a file on him listing as a “dangerous individual.”

Throughout the film Baldwin talked about issues that included: police brutality, African-American representation in film, the genocide of Native Americans, and the sexuality of the African-American men.

The film also showed modern footage and photos of protests that have occurred in recent years that took place in Ferguson, Mo., Baltimore, Md., and New York City.

Once the film ended Clark moderate the discussion the film and asked the attendees their thoughts on the film.

In the film, Bobby Kennedy in the 1960s said that race relations were improving in the United States and that possibly in 40 years the country could have an African-American president. Baldwin referenced Kennedy’s statement in the film and pointed out that African-Americans had been in the country longer than Kennedy’s ancestors, yet his family had more power than an African-American whose ancestors have lived in the country longer.

Attendee JoAnna Vincent said that what Baldwin said about allowing an African-American to become president stood out to her.

“Being white Irish Catholic what really hit home with me, and I am not going to be able to quote it correctly, was when James Baldwin said I’ve been here 400 years, Robert Kennedy’s family has been here probably about 150 years and you’re telling me that maybe in 40 years we might be able to be president if we are good. I see it and I never thought of it until he said it and I thought that was very powerful and that is something we should take from [the film],” Vincent said.

Attendee Jim Whyte said, “We are really still tribal and no matter what you say about any other country I don’t think there are too many analogs in terms of what we have done here to the African-American. Part of the movie where James Baldwin is talking to a white professor and the white professor says ‘well why don’t you identify as an author you have more in common with an author than people who are non-literary’..and of course the blatant problem with that is a person cannot choose to be black or white..”

Local Sid Bernstein said that the film points out the lack of progress the country has made in terms of race relations.

“…before they had lynching now they have police brutality and mass incarceration and that 30 percent of the African-American community is still living in poverty where in the United States whites are only 14 percent,” Bernstein said.

Berstein also said that African-Americans today make up that 55 percent of the population in the prison system.

For more information about visit www.redbanklibrary.org or call 732-842-0690.

Contact Vashti Harris at vharris@newspapermediagroup.com.

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