In WHO WE ARE — A CHRONICLE OF RACISM IN AMERICA, Jeffery Robinson (writer, producer) faces his largest audience, asking all of us to examine who we are, where we come from, and who we want to be.
Who We Are – A Chronicle of Racism in America is a Sony Pictures Classic Documentary, runs 118 minutes, and is not yet rated by the MPA.
Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and shocking revelations, in WHO WE ARE — A Chronicle of Racism in America, criminal defense/civil rights lawyer Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to the modern myth of a post-racial America.
REFLECTING ON THE HISTORY OF BLACK STUDIES: WHY DOES IT MATTER?
OPENS IN Bay Area THEATERS February 4, 11, 25:
February 4
Elmwood 3 Theater, Berkeley
Embarcadero Center Cinema, San Francisco
Metreon 15 & IMAX, San Francisco
AMC Saratoga 14, San Jose
East Ridge Mall 15, San Jose
Smith Rafael Film Center, San Rafael
February 11
Century 16 Downtown, Pleasant Hill
Century 20 Downtown, Redwood City
February 25
Tower Theater 3, Sacramento
3 Below Theater, San Jose
Del Mar Theater, Santa Cruz
Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America, directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler
A Review by Wanda Sabir
In Jeffrey Robinson’s (Producer/Writer) “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler, audiences look at the birth of this nation and how 55 years after the Kerner Report, (July 1967), 156 years after first Civil Rights Bill – ratified April 9, 1866 just after the Civil War—followed by CRA March 1, 1875, CRA Sept. 9, 1957, CRA 1964 and CRA 1968, not much has changed for Black people in America. What makes this chronicle unique is the discussant’s life which anchors and centers a narrative that is surprising, not because we didn’t know it was so bad, but the facts that lend themselves to the tragedy.
Robinson states that his parents were unicorns and his childhood (and life) a fable or fairytale. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, he and his three siblings, grew up loved and protected. He says that he wasn’t the smartest kid in town; however, he was able to graduate from Harvard Law School and have a varied legal career as a public defender in Seattle where he represented indigent clients in state and federal court.
As litigant for the ACLU, Robinson was one of the original members of the John Adams Project where he worked on behalf of one of the five men held at Guantanamo Bay charged with carrying out the 9/11 attacks. Yet, when his wife’s sister died and her son, Matt (13), came to live with him and his wife, Robinson says: “What started out as a search in my attempt to help my nephew deal with the challenges of racism in America turned into an education I was not expecting.”
Part TED Talk with music, charts, statistics and video—part facts spliced with living examples of the phenomena, “Who We Are” is a “Racism 2022 Road Trip.”
Emily Kunsler, director, handles an 11 passenger van with her daughter, sister, Sarah aboard, mother aboard; Robinson, of course and his wife, plus a few others. Between interviews, Robinson and company debrief (sometimes on camera). We witness Robinson unpacking some of the really hard moments.
The brilliant way the directors splice Robinson’s taped conversations with the in the moment interviews with mothers, like Gwen Carr (Eric Garner) and others family members who lost loved ones to state violence; families who are still grieving the killing of their brother, son, friend, husband—plus multiple survivors of racial terrorism and terrorist landmarks and monuments like the Lynching Tree in Charleston, SC; places like the Old Slave Mart Museum also in Charleston and monuments to civil war massacres and murderers. Such sites and testimony show these sites, sounds, stories from multiple perspectives as camera shifts from presenter to participant. We see Robinson shed tears and get angry as logic and bigotry refuse to share space.
This history lesson needs no popcorn. Not only will you stay in your seat, you will look for references to read later to understand more completely the discourse which moves too quickly to comprehend its magnitude. Most of what we know about American history is a cleaned up version of the founding story from Francis Scott Keys’ poem excerpted for the National Anthem to the polished lies and laws in documents like the Constitution of the United States that kept enslaved persons enslaved and ensured Black lives legally never matter.
Emily and Sarah Kunstler saw Robinson’s presentation and suggested the idea for a film. Reluctant at first, the trust grew over the 12 years or so it took to bring the project to completion. As Robinson traveled the country with his presentation, he spoke to other citizens about human rights. The interviews, as mentioned, are interspersed with the presentation. Like a dance, the live and scripted conversations woven together show the complex nature of racism in American.
From Mother Lessie Benningfield Randle, born in 1914, one of the last remaining survivors of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921 to Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, activist and twin sister of Terence Crutcher, an unarmed 40-year-old man who was shot and killed in Tulsa, when his car stalled on a city street, to Senator Henry “Hank” Sanders and his wife Faya Ora Rose Touré discussion of a name change for the bridge names after a Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan: Edmund Pettis Bridge to Freedom Bridge.
Tami Sawyer, a Memphis County Commissioner and political activist looks tired when the two confederate monuments finally come down. She says she is tired because, “We had to fight so hard. I had friends who went to jail for this, a woman was killed for this. [While this] statue came down . . . almost another 1000 stand across the country. People are working harder to protect them, [yet they] tell us that ‘we are wrong’ or ‘attention seekers’ than they are to reconcile and get to a point of truth and understanding about who these people were.”
Robinson states that all the Confederate monuments and memorials were built in the twentieth century. He says these men are honored for their bloodshed, not for any particularly honorable act. These monuments are built for men who upheld the rights of the enslavers and killed those in the war who fought against these rights.
Dr. King’s killing and that of Larry Payne (Robinson’s peer) who was killed with a shotgun blast to the chest (at close range) by a Memphis police officer during the 1968 sanitation workers strike opens the story. The officer never faced charges and Ms. Carolyn Payne, his sister’s family have never received an apology from the City of Memphis.
The stories are true and painful, especially when juxtaposed with the racial epithet running like supertitles across the narrative of this nation no matter who is in office—Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Donald Trump, Bush Jr. and Bush Sr., even Barack Obama. All have blood on their hands.
In a recent interview, I spoke to Robinson and the directors about the film, which is opening this week throughout the nation. “Who We Are in America” is now a project with a mission to give space to documenting these stories so that there is an historic record.
Toni Stone, 1st Black Woman to play for a Men’s Professional Baseball Team, is Google Doodle’s homerun, Feb. 9, 2022
Toni Stone, born as Marcenia Lyle Stone in West Virginia, was the first of three women to play professional baseball full-time for the Indianapolis Clowns, in the previously all-male Negro leagues. This also made her the first woman to play as a regular on an American big-league professional baseball team. WikipediaBorn: July 17, 1921, Bluefield, WV Died: November 2, 1996, Alameda County, CA
Lecture
Temple University’s Dept. of Africology presents: The History of Black Studies with Dr. Abdul Alkaimat, moderated by Molefi K. Asante Registration link
Zaccho Dance Theatre’s World Premiere: Love a State of Grace @Grace Cathedral, Feb. 11, 12, 17, 18
A performance and ritual installation at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral
February 11, 12, 17, and 18 performances. For tickets: https://zacchograce.brownpapertickets.com
With over 90-foot ceilings, stained glass, and multiple chambers, Grace Cathedral will provide a multifaceted platform of many vantage points for audiences. The rhythms and height of Grace’s Gothic design also present unique challenges for Zaccho Dance Theatre Artistic Director Joanna Haigood’s choreography. Haigood will be choreographing the dancers’ movements using original props created by collaborating designers Wayne Campbell and Sean Riley, such as an anchored 90-foot ladder and 70-foot swinging pendulum.
Love, a state of grace will feature some of the Bay Area’s most talented aerial dancers who will interact with original props created by collaborating designers Wayne Campbell and Sean Riley. These props include an anchored 90-foot ladder and 70-foot swinging pendulum, each a unique response to the rhythms and height of Grace Cathedral’s Gothic design.
Composer Walter Kitundu’s sound score will incorporate recorded material, the activation of live acoustic instruments within the space, the Cathedral’s massive pipe organ, and voices of a small choir, all in conversation with the Cathedral’s cavernous interior space and prolonged reverberation. Artist theologians Yohana Junker and Claudío Cavalhaes will design a series of meditations and small rituals with which the audience may engage throughout the Cathedral. At the heart of each ritual, the question that emerges is how to intimate and love our places, our bodies, our communities, our land otherwise.
VIDEO TRAILER: https://vimeo.com/630195772
Haigood explains that originally Love, a state of grace was conceived to be a response to the rise in violent attacks and vandalism directed at sacred places in the United States and was intended to bring together diverse communities to share and celebrate our common humanity and the tenets of love in religious practice.
“Since we began the work, our country has been experiencing the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise of social uprisings against racial injustice,” says Haigood. “In light of this we have reframed Love, a state of grace to include reflection and dialogue around these issues.” She adds, “It is our hope that our shared experience will reaffirm the role of kindness, compassion, love, and righteous social action in the national healing process.”
Zaccho’s community partner, Grace Cathedral, has a well established tradition as a cross-cultural sanctuary. Its leadership and innovative programming has inspired much of the conceptual aspects of this work. Performances will be followed by panel discussions with activists, artists and theologians, who will discuss the concept of “otherness” and strategies that lead to greater acceptance and understanding.
Virtual Fireside Chat – Aging with Dignity and Respect through the intersectionality of the labor force and resources – Building a workforce that is reflective of the needs of Black Women and the Black Women’s aging experience with: the Hon. Cheryl Brown, Commissioner, CA Commission on Aging; Sylvia Ivie Drew, Special Advisor to the President, Charles R. Drew University; Delane Sims, Founder & CEO, Senior Moments; and April Verrett, President, SEIU 2015.
Please register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJElcempqzkrH9G3BAmHgN_IhUp_xagyunok
Frontline presents: American Reckoning
Visit https://www.pbs.org/video/american-reckoning-preview/
Poetry
32nd Annual Celebration of African American Poets and Their Poetry, Sat., Feb. 19, 10-12 noon PT
We are dedicating the 32nd Annual Celebration of African American & African Diaspora Poets and Their Poetry program to Al Young and bell hooks. This year the theme is African American Health and Wellness. However, all themes are welcome.
We are featuring Baba Kalamu ya Salaam with an open mic. Sign up in advance if you are a poet of African American descent. We will have open mic sprinkled in with the featured artists.
To participate, register in advance for Sat., Feb. 19, 2022, 10-12 noon PT:https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcpdu6rrzwjE9JQfvgUECVkX_rDVMtqVEpw & To watch: FB.com/wandaspicks
For information: wolaacp@gmail.com
Alameda Island Poets (AIPoets) TONIGHT features Dee Allen, Mimi Tempestt, and Lorraine Bonner, Wed. 2/2, 7pm on Zoom
Dee Allen is an African-Italian performance poet based in Oakland, California. Active on creative writing & Spoken Word since the early 1990s. Author of 7 books–Boneyard, Unwritten Law, Stormwater, Skeletal Black [ all from POOR Press ], Elohi Unitsi [ Conviction 2 Change Publishing ] and coming in February 2022, Rusty Gallows: Passages Against Hate [ Vagabond Books ] and Plans [ Nomadic Press ]–and 45 anthology appearances under his figurative belt so far.
Alameda Island Poets celebrates Black History Month, featuring Mimi Tempestt, Lorraine Bonner, and Dee Allen launching two new books: Rusty Gallows: Passages Against Hate and Plans. Our Youth Poet is Jaylin Higgins from Alameda Community Learning Center. Hosts are Cathy Dana and Alameda Poet Laureate, Kimi Sugioka. Our “famously friendly” open mic follows features.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88484893144?pwd=anRqZStWcXpNNlVhRHpmaFp3SnloZz09
Meeting ID: 884 8489 3144
Passcode: poetry
The African American Steering Committee for Health and Wellness (AASCHW)
BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2022: CHANGING THE NARRATIVE: Eliminating Negative Stereotypes About Black People
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2022, 10:00 AM – 12:30 PM (PST)
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ROLAND MARTIN – “ROLAND MARTIN UNFILTERED”
Presentation/Discussion Topic: Media Bias and the Negative Portrayal of Black People in the News.
(This Event Will Also Provide Entertainment)
Zoom Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Xl8N6aQwTkihqj2M2LwgTw
ID# 839 8258 4892
Call In Numbers: US: +16699006833,,83982584892 or +12532158782,,83982584892
EVENT SPONSORS
Berkeley Juneteenth Cultural Celebrations –Berkeley Black Ecumenical Ministerial Alliance – African American/Black Professionals & Community Network, Inc. – Berkeley NAACP – Cevo Presents – The Center For Food, Faith & Justice – Berkeley Jr. Jackets – Black Repertory Group, Inc. – African American Steering Committee for Health and Wellness
12th Annual African/Black Psychology Conference
Register Now
| The 12th Annual African/Black Psychology Conference |
| THEME |
| Community Crises & Care: Pathways to Healing Beyond the Pandemics |
| DATE: Friday, February 11, 2022 TIME FRAME: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm EST LOCATION: Virtual HOST: Department of PsychologyCollege of Social Sciences, Arts, & Humanities Florida A&M University OVERVIEW: Throughout the world, Africana communities are grappling with a convergence of pandemics. We are currently (re)experiencing how a new crisis—the COVID-19 pandemic—exacerbates ongoing crises, such as state violence and climate disaster. An African proverb informs us that “in the moment of crisis, the wise build bridges and the foolish build dams.” The 12th Annual African/Black Psychology Conference explores how Africana communities are mitigating crises, while promoting communal care. Centering African wisdom in our analyses, we identify pathways to healing beyond the pandemics that will guide the building of bridges. |
| CONTINUING EDUCATION UNITS |
| Seven (7) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be given for an additional cost of $25. The CEU provider is the North Florida Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists, a Florida Board of Psychology approved provider. |
Lecture
Community Based Learning Training Series
