Forum on Racial Understanding: American Denial
to
Stratford Hall 483 Great House Rd., Stratford, Virginia 22558
Overview:
The showing on March 25 is an example of Community Cinema and a public forum. It is a space for people to gather who are connected by a love of stories and a belief in their power to change the world. The showing will be a tool to facilitate dialogue and deepen understanding of the complex issues raised in the film American Denial.
Description:
This is a showing of the film American Denial followed by a moderated discussion. The film follows the story of Swedish researcher Gunnar Myrdal whose landmark 1944 study, An American Dilemma, probed deep into the United States' racial psyche. The film weaves a narrative that exposes some of the potential underlying causes of racial biases still rooted in America’s systems and institutions today. American Denial sheds light on the unconscious political and moral world of modern Americans, using archival footage, newsreels, nightly news reports, and rare southern home movies from the ‘30s and ‘40s, as well as research footage, websites, and YouTube films showing psychological testing of racial attitudes. Exploring “stop-and-frisk” practices, the incarceration crisis, and racially-patterned poverty, the film features a wide array of historians, psychologists, and sociologists who offer expert insight and share their own personal, unsettling stories. The result is a unique and provocative film that challenges our assumptions about who we are and what we really believe.
Schedule of Activities:
• 9:30 Doors open to duPont, light refreshments prior to the screening
• 10:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Introduction of presenters
• 10:15 a.m. - 11:15 a.m. Film showing
• 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Q/A and discussion
Moderators:
John L. Johnson, Ed.D.
Dr. Johnson was a member of the Syracuse University faculty and administration from 1966 to 1971. During that time he was assistant professor in the School of Education’s Division of Special Education, Director of the African American Studies program, and created the Croton-on-Campus program, which brought local school children from inner city schools to classrooms on campus to provide learning opportunities they would otherwise not have. In 1967, he was asked to serve on a consultation panel for the United State Office of Education.
Johnson resigned from Syracuse University in 1971 to become the associate superintendent of schools for specialized education in Washington, D.C. Dr. John L. Johnson continues to balance his role as an educator and an activist and remains committed to finding solutions to problems of inequality.
Jon M. Bachman
Jon Bachman, M.Ed. is an educator; filmmaker, musician, writer and paleontologist and for the last 6 years has served as the Manager of Public Events at Stratford Hall. He retired from the Prince William County School Division in 2002 after serving 40 years as a teacher, curriculum specialist and Middle School principal. He has worked for over 20 years producing and hosting nationally televised programs on a myriad of topics. Most recently, he collaborated with the eleven state recognized tribes of Virginia, and the Virginia a Department of Education in developing programing exploring the current conditions of the tribes. Prior to that, he supervised a state wide federally funded health campaign dying to Drive aimed at reducing teen car fatalities. The campaign resulted in state legislation that would form the core of HB 1782, legislation.
Registration: not required
Public Contact Person:
Jon Bachman, Jbachman@stratfordhall.org, 804-493-1972