Cover Story: What now? Dr. Anni Reinking reminds us ‘It’s Not Just Black and White’

Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s staff provided this photo of her overseeing the two-block-long mural she had painted not far from the White House.

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What can we do, now?

ANNI REINKING is a researcher and educational consultant with a specialty on the racial dynamics shaping the lives of children and families. This week, she reminds us of two important truths. First, Americans have been “breathing” the air of racism for decades. This traumatic moment since the death of George Floyd is an opportunity to recognize that hard truth—and begin to clear the air. Then, second, as a teacher, author and the mother of an African-American son, she suggests several steps we all can take right now.

Please, read Part 1: What Now? Dr. Anni Reinking reminds us it’s ‘Not Just Black and White.’ This column—which includes helpful links to other scholars as well—explains the long legacy of America’s “breathing racism.” Anni also explains the problem black families face when their children suddenly face an unfair “adultification” by authority figures, including police. There’s a lot in this column to share with your friends, or your small group, to spark helpful discussion.

Then, read Part 2: Dr. Anni Reinking on ‘What can I do now? In this second column, Anni responds directly to the question so many men and women are asking today: “What can I do now?” She doesn’t claim to have the only “right” answers. Rather, she describes tried-and-true approaches she is taking with her own family, friends, co-workers and her students.

Both of these columns are published under Creative Commons, so you are free to share this material widely with friends as long as you credit Anni with this work.

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How Lincoln  Navigated These Waters

DUNCAN NEWCOMER’S QUIET FIRE COLUMN, this week, invites us to remember the occasions on which Abraham Lincoln’s presidency connected with two other powerful issues in the news this week: the concerns of African-Americans—and the Bible.

Duncan writes, “Lincoln’s life is inseparable from the Bible. Lincoln, of course, is also inseparable from the life of black people in America. It is revealing to recount some of the stories of when all three meet: Lincoln, black people and the Bible.”

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Holidays & Festivals

Juneteenth Will Be Different This Year

JUNE 19 marks a holiday largely unknown in predominantly white northern communities—but it’s a huge celebration in many towns, especially across the South and in Texas. Even before the turbulent events of 2020, interest in the holiday has been growing across that region. Texas, Oklahoma and Florida have recognized Juneteenth for many years, but, since 2010, seven other states in the region have joined them. Some northern states have followed suit, including Montana, Illinois and Maine. Read Stephanie Fenton’s story and, please, share it with friends on social media.

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What are we reading—
for ‘Pride Month’?

AMERICANS ARE READING, this summer, about diversity at a rate we’ve never seen! That’s good news for all of us who care about inclusion in our communities. CNN reported, this week, that books about race are flying off Amazon’s shelves. This month, Americans also are ordering books about sexuality and gender because this is LGBT Pride Month, set in June to honor the activists at Stonewall in June 1969. This week, Susan Stitt writes about some of the great books you can get right now to explore these issues. Please read Susan’s column and share these book ideas with friends.

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Care to see all of our Holidays & Festivals columns? It’s easy to find our annual calendar of global observances. Just remember the address InterfaithHolidays.com

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Click this movie image to read Ed McNulty’s review of the 1954 classic about the lives of poor people, Salt of the Earth.

FAITH & FILM 

LIFT YOUR SPIRITS WITH STREAMING

Click this snapshot from the June 2020 issue of Visual Parables Journal to learn more about this wonderful resource for individual viewing and small group discussion.

ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.

Among Ed’s free reviews and columns are these 10 recommending videos available for streaming right now. 

  1. SALT OF THE EARTH—Ed reminds us of the 1954 classic about the lives of poor people, Salt of the Earth, the subject of great controversy in that era.
  2. CURTIZ—This film about Michael Curtiz, the director of Casablanca, is full of factual errors. “Nevertheless,” Ed McNulty writes, “first-time director Tamas Yvan Topolanszky’ film, streaming on Netflix, is an interesting one thanks to a combination of excellent acting and crisp black & white photography.”
  3. REDISCOVERING ‘INSIGHT’—One of the great gems of classic TV was the Insight series produced by Paulist Productions. This week, Ed looks back at that remarkable and long-running series, which included a Who’s Who of top Hollywood talent. Through its 250 episodes, viewers saw performances by stars including Carroll O’Connor, Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, June Lockhart, Celeste Holm, Meg Tilly and Patty Duke. Best of all, Ed shares with us the YouTube link to enjoy many of these classic episodes.
  4. RETURN TO ME—Ed writes, “Director/co-writer Bonnie Hunt’s 20-year-old romantic film could easily have gone astray were it not for its solid cast and attention to details of character. The main characters—two lovers Bob Rueland and Grace Biggs, played by David Duchovny and Minnie Driver—are so appealing that we can overlook some of the film’s sentimental excess.” (4 out of 5 stars)
  5. PROLONGED EXPOSURE—This film might seem slow moving by anyone who has been misled by the false posters that imply this is an action thriller. Mr. Thoms’ insightful script is more of a character study.” (4 stars)
  6. HALA—”Writer/director Minhal Baig brings us a very unusual version of the teenager coming of age story. Who has ever filmed this from the perspective of a 17-year-old Muslim girl, daughter of strict Pakistani parents who are only half acclimated to their new country? Although the pace of the film might try the patience of some viewers, it offers a rewarding time for those concerned about a young woman on the cusp of discovering her freedom.” (4 stars)
  7. 7500—”When a thriller, and Patrick Vollrath’s film is certainly one, begins with a Gandhi quotation, you can be sure that I will be watching with an extra amount of attention!” (4 stars)
  8. A HIDDEN LIFE—Want to learn more about courageous peacemakers? “Terrence Malick raises important questions about faith and loyalty to one’s country versus loyalty to one’s conscience. And how do you know that you are right when most everyone else is of the opposite view? These are universal questions, applicable here today as well as in 1940s Europe.” (The Franz Jagerstatter story is streaming from Amazon; also from Netflix’s DVD service.)
  9. FORBIDDEN—”This 36-year-old TV film, directed by Anthony Page and written by Leonard Gross, is another worthy film to add to the small number that pay tribute to the too-few Germans who opposed Adolph Hitler. Like Alone in Berlin, this film is set in Berlin. It is based on the non-fiction book by Leonard Gross The Last Jews in Berlin and stars the great French actress Jacqueline Bisset as the real life Countess Maria von Maltzan.” (4.5 stars)
  10. ALONE IN BERLIN—”Most WW 2 era films about resistance to Nazi tyranny are set in France, Poland, or some other occupied country, so Vincent Perez’s story of a middle-aged German couple becoming disillusioned with Hitler is most welcome. Based on Hans Fallada’s novel Jeder stirbt für sich allein (Every Man Dies Alone), it is a fictionalized version of what happened to the real-life Otto and Elise Hampel.” (4.5 stars)

 

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