This TEDWomen Talk isn’t new, but it is new to us, and as soon as we watched it, we couldn’t wait to share. As high school students in Princeton, NJ, Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo realized they didn’t really understand racism. And so they set off on a journey to ask Americans across the country about their personal experiences with race and racism. What these two young women began to realize is that we can’t, as a nation, build our racial literacy until we close two critical gaps. As they explain in the video:
“First, the HEART gap, an inability to understand each of our experiences, to fiercely and unapologetically be compassionate beyond lip service. And second, the MIND gap, an inability to understand the larger systemic ways in which racism operates.”
Watch the whole video to not only learn more about their project, but to feel inspired by their passion and ideas.
Understanding racism requires an empathetic approach to learning that enables honest discussions with people unlike us, particularly within marginalized groups. Then, we can look to history and research for concrete examples of institutionalized racism and how it marginalizes people on varying levels.
In our workshops at Point Made Learning, we offer “Guiding Lights” for participants looking to engage in more productive discussions about race. We start with, “Ask questions with genuine curiosity, not judgment.”From there, you can open both your heart AND your mind.
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Since the release of our documentary film I’m Not Racist… Am I? (INRAI), Point Made Learning (PML) has held more than 400 screenings and workshops across the United States. This antiracism programming engages diverse audiences and helps communities think, learn, and talk, about race and racism in ways they don’t often get a chance to do.
We’ve now developed an additional tool for deepening understanding of the film’s content: TheI’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital Experience). Vassar College is one of the first institutions to license our online course as part of the their INRAI package. Keep reading to learn about how they used the course, the film, and our workshops for a comprehensive first-year orientation program. And send us an email if you’d like to do something similar at your school or organization:programming@pointmade.com
The Vassar Screenings
Starting off the 2017 fall semester, several members of Vassar College’s faculty and administration wanted to take the university’s programming on diversity, equity and inclusion to the next level. Vassar already considered itself a progressive institution. But recent race-related issues on campus had highlighted a need for more work on these topics.
Enter I’m Not Racist… Am I?, Point Made Learning’s documentary film and new INRAI Digital Online Course, which Vassar used this October to engage its entire first-year class. Coordinating with several Vassar departments, we coached faculty and administration members on how to facilitate discussions of the film.
First-year students at Vassar College gather in discussion of INRAI.
Then, we screened the film three separate times for the school’s first-year students. After each screening, we led group Q&A sessions, followed by smaller discussion groups facilitated by Vassar staff. In all, our workshops reached more than 600 students and educators — and they made a lasting impact on campus.
An article in the Vassar Miscellany News described the decision to bring I’m Not Racist… Am I? to the first-years as “a significant move by the administration.” It fostered discussion and helped deepen the student body’s understanding of racism in an effective, inclusive way.
“Because we realized that our students wanted to continue that conversation.”
Vassar conducts a first-year Orientation program which includes a diversity component each year. “This year, we decided to supplement that with this film,” said Associate Dean for Campus Life and Diversity Edward Pittman. “Because we realized that our students wanted to continue that conversation and have more opportunities to explore issues around race, gender, and other identities.”
“We had a large number of students who said, ‘This is great, we need to do more of this.’” Pittman added. “For us, it meant that our students are thinking, were engaged. And that’s exactly what you want a program like this to do — open up dialogue.”
Pittman and Associate Professor and Chair of Drama Shona Tucker and Associate Film Professor Mia Mask, (and other faculty and school departments who came on board) helped bring the film to Vassar. The idea to host the screenings originated when Tucker saw clips from the film at her son’s school and thought Vassar could use the content, too.
[tweetshareinline tweet=”What resources would you bring to your college campus to address issues of race in the community?” username=”PM_Learn”]
“Seeing the responses of the parents and the teachers who were there at my son’s school — and hearing the responses from my 11-year-old — it really hit me in poignant ways,” Tucker said. “So I thought, ‘This would really go well at Vassar,’ because Vassar had been having some serious racial disturbances on campus. So I started talking to Mia (Mask), and the deans, and anybody who would listen, really, saying, ‘We ought to bring this to Vassar College.’”
“We felt we needed a trial run with students,” she said, “so we did a screening for 30 students from all different backgrounds, and the students were, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah — this film should be shown!’ And then the discussion was, ‘when should it be shown, and to whom,’ and it was decided that freshman would be the ideal start.”
First-Year Orientation
The planning team chose first-years as their target audience because the film screenings could tie in to the existing Orientation programming. They also wanted to reach first-years because, as the newest students on campus — many of them may be inexperienced in dealing with these issues. And they have four years ahead of them for continued education and exploration.
It took the planning committee almost two years to make the screenings a reality. First, they had to clear the hurdles of administrative and financial red tape. Once they got through that, however, they agreed the effort was worth it.
“I was surprised it went so smoothly”
“I was surprised that it went so smoothly,” said Mask. “All of our screenings, our post-screening discussions, all of the breakout groups — all of that went as planned, and we were delighted.”
“After the film, so many students were standing up and offering honest, open revelations about their experience,” she said. “And we were really happy to see that. It’s been two years in the planning. It took so much to bring it to fruition, and it all just went off so well. For the vast majority of students, my sense is that this can be a positive catalyst for change.”
“It opened up a channel of conversation”
One student who attended the screenings, Chloe Crawford, agreed. “My group of friends, we’ve been having race-related discussions at lunches and dinners the past few weeks, and that’s because of the film,” she said. “My friend group is fairly white, except for myself and two other people of color. I think it’s great, honestly, that as a group we can have these discussions … I think it opened up a channel of conversation amongst us.”
Campus shot at Vasser College.
For Crawford, this was an important starting point for what she hopes will be an ongoing discussion that she and her classmates will have the rest of their college careers. And into their adult lives. One thing she emphasized was the film’s ability to create a safe space for people of color to come forward with thoughts and feelings that they may have shied away from expressing in the past.
“After the film, so many students were standing up and offering open, honest revelations about their experience. For the vast majority of students, my sense is that this can be a positive catalyst for change.”
“Empowering”
“I think that the discussions afterwards facilitated by staff members seemed to allow for some of the people of color on campus to finally be able to speak in front of white students,” she said, “and not be seen that they were in the wrong, or be perceived that they were over-emotional or aggressive. So I thought that was empowering.”
In the future, Crawford suggested that Vassar consider showing the film to all students. Pittman acknowledged that’s something that’s already on their radar.
“Next semester, we’re thinking of showing I’m Not Racist… Am I? to sophomores, juniors, and seniors,” he said, “because they heard about the freshmen seeing it, and they said, ‘Why don’t we get to see it?’”
The Planning
In our interviews with Tucker, Mask, Pittman and Crawford, we discussed the steps they went through to actually make these screenings happen. Here are some of the highlights from our Q&A’s.
PML: You used our I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital Online Course to introduce faculty to the film and prep them for facilitating discussions with the students. How was your experience with our online learning modules?
Mia Mask: “The online modules are ideal for people who are actually committed to doing more. I think you need to watch the entire film once straight-through, and then the modules help you unpack the film afterward.”
Ed Pittman: “Everything that I saw in the modules — and what I’m hearing from faculty and administrators — is that it’s very helpful. I’ve received nothing but positive feedback.”
“Know your audience.”
PML: What advice do you have for other people who want to hold similar events? Say, your top 3 tips …
Shona Tucker: “One: Do as Ed had us do — meet, and meet. I thought meeting and meeting was going to be a real pain in the butt, but it actually kept the channels of communication clear. We knew who was supposed to do what.
“Two: The pilot program was not a bad idea, but know who you’re going to show it to.
“Three: Be prepared to have several follow-up conversations — not just immediately afterwards, but weeks afterwards as well to learn more about what’s happening.”
Mia Mask: “One: Know your audience.
“Two: Build a community of folks who want to work on this project with you — a good planning group or committee, that’s very important.
“Three: Make sure to follow up and follow through, because this film can be a great catalyst for change if you do your follow-up work.”
Setting Objectives
PML:Did our programming meet your objectives?
Ed Pittman: “Our objectives were to introduce a conversation that some students have had, but others haven’t had that opportunity, and to have a challenging dialogue.
“The other day, a student emailed me saying, ‘I want to meet with you to discuss the movie.’ And we met and talked about a question he had that he had been discussing with one of his friends. That’s indicative of what’s out there. I know that the students are ruminating on the content of the movie, and that’s what we wanted to happen.”
“Whether people like the film or not, it creates discussion.”
PML: What’s the value of I’m Not Racist… Am I? And would you recommend that other universities and organizations screenit?
Chloe Crawford: “The value of the film is that it creates discussion. Whether people like the film or not, it creates discussion. And I would recommend that other universities screen it. I think Vassar tries really hard to open conversations on these issues. But I have friends at other schools that say things are really segregated there, and there are issues of violence against people of color. So it would be extremely important on those campuses.”
“It raised a lot of questions for our students”
PML: What do you see as the long-term impact of this programming, and how does it fit into your overall strategy?
Ed Pittman: “I think the long-term impact is that it raised a lot of questions for our students. And I would like to see those students enroll in some of our coursework that addresses these issues. Or to attend lectures on campus around these subjects. It also raised the question of what more we can do beyond orientation, in a substantive way, for our students. For the first year, second year, third year, fourth year, it’s, ‘OK, now we’ve done this. What’s the next step?’ And that’s a good thing.”
“We need the tools, we need the skills, and we need the training.”
PML: Why is hosting events like this one important? Why did you do it?
Mia Mask: “We worked on this for two years because of what’s happening in our nation, and because of our national history. Because issues of structural inequality are omnipresent at every moment, at every juncture. Whether we’re talking about mass incarceration, college admissions and affirmative action … it’s clear across our society that we need healthier dialogue on race, racial difference, and structural inequality. We need the tools, we need the skills, and we need the training to talk about these issues.”
Bring INRAI to Your Institution
If you are interested in hosting a Point Made Learning film screening or workshop, please send us an email:programming@pointmade.com
Also, check out our new I’m Not Racist… Am I?Digital Online Course — a valuable program for corporations and individuals who want to Look Deeper into race, racism, and bias.
About Point Made Learning
Point Made Learning is the consulting and programming extension of Point Made Films, a production company focused on telling stories about the many layers of American identity. We use documentary film to facilitate productive discussions around the most uncomfortable topics we face in American society – starting with racism. We’ve taken an innovative approach to raising awareness and organizing communities through our unique combination of storytelling, real talk, and digital tools. We tell true stories and teach powerful lessons about issues that matter.
You may have heard in the past few weeks: we’ve expanded our I’m Not Racist… Am I? screening-workshop model. Now, schools and organizations can use the film themselves as a tool in their antiracism work. We’re still taking the film out ourselves, too. But our new YOULead program makes seeing the film more affordable. And it includes a 3.5-hour online antiracism course and facilitation training. We hope this builds an even bigger team of leaders ready to strengthen more communities around the country.
Now It’s Your Turn to Lead Antiracism Dialogue
“I’m Not Racist… Am I?” has screened nearly 400 times, bringing antiracism discussions to communities all over the United States.
If you sign up for this program, we’ll first provide you with access to our new online course – I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital. Then, you’ll go through a video conference coaching session with one of our master facilitators to prepare you for showing the film and leading post-screening discussions in your community. Once you complete all of this, you’ll get:
A 5-day license to screen the film as many times as you want, for as many viewers in your community as you’d like.
Lifetime access to our Look Deeper curriculum, which includes film clips, bonus videos, discussion guides, and lesson plans.
Our plan is to give you what you need for sustained antiracism work and continued engagement with the subject matter.
We first announced this program a few weeks ago so we’ve now had a handful of organizations go through it. And we think it’s working! Keep reading to find out more.
If you’re ready to sign your organization up for YOULead, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
Notes from the Field – LaTasha DeLoach, Iowa City
Approximately 120 community members attended our first screening of I Am Not A Racist…Am I? Attendees were very diverse in age and were overall representative of the Iowa City community. Following the screening and an hour and a half facilitated discussion, attendees were asked to complete a brief survey about their experience (See the attached survey on page 2). Overall, survey results were very supportive of the film. 100% of respondents said they would recommend the event to their friends and family. Attendees were also asked to rate various aspects of the screening on a scale of 1-5 (with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best). Below are the average scores for each component of the event:
Content: 4.85
Logistics & Organization: 4.76
Engagement & Conversation: 4.5
Location/Date/Time: 4.47
Attendees were also asked to comment on their favorite part of the event. Majority of comments were on the content of the film, how thought provoking it was, and how much they loved the focus on youth. They also enjoyed the discussion.
Below are a few of the responses we received:
“I’d heard about it – great film. Great to see this from the eyes of teens – ingenious way of getting us older folks in.”
“Enlightening! Hearing different points of view. Made me examine my own thinking.”
“The ideas it uncovered; the pressing for discussion.”
“It was funny, relatable which made it easier to digest as a white person.”
“The opportunity to learn more about racism and its effect on society and individuals. The maturity of the teens involved was impressive.”
“Great film and great chance for community to come together and learn from each other.”
“Great attendance! I go to similar community events in town often and don’t see this many people or range of ages. Whatever you did to get word out it worked.”
When asked how the event could be improved, most attendees mentioned needing more time for discussion and having the screening at an earlier time, on weekends, or doing it more often. Some of the attendee comments include:
“Need to know more about how the systemic oppression works.”
“Take it to the schools.”
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If you’ve been wanting to incorporateI’m Not Racist… Am I?into your antiracism work, but haven’t been able to make our model fit with your budget and objectives, we hope this new program makes sense for you. If you’re ready to try YOULead, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
The American Dream Life-Size Game features 12 different “characters” from diverse racial and socioeconomic demographics and backgrounds. The characters roll giant dice and advance along the game board to try and reach “success” — but there’s a catch: After each player’s turn, a facilitator reads a Chance Card aloud. Taken from real life scenarios, each card affects one or more groups in society differently than others, and some players have to move back spaces or lose turns, while others take extra steps ahead. The idea is to give players a sense of how the path toward achieving the American Dream is easier for some than others.
On WeWork Penn Station’s “community floor,” we rolled out the giant life-size American Dream game floor board and invited WeWork members to play. Point Made’s Catherine Wigginton Greene and Lenny Walker took the lead in hosting the game, and helping guide the ongoing discussions among players. Two different groups played the game during the 2+ hour event, but they were far from the only people involved; the majority of the spectators assembled for the Happy Hour received hand-out “fans” which assigned audience members to be on the same team as one of the characters in the game. By the end of the night, everyone had learned something — and they had a good time doing it.
Rave Reviews
The people who played the American Dream game had nothing but positive things to say about it, as did those who set up the event.
“It actually made me think about things from someone else’s perspective, things I wouldn’t have thought of before,” said Pepper Jefferson, a WeWork member who played the game as the character Isabella — a woman who has emigrated from Mexico to the U.S.
“It’s weird because, for the first time, I really did experience my privilege as a U.S. citizen,” Jefferson said. “And it’s sad, because in real life, so many people know that they’re not going to be able to attain the American Dream because there’s so many setbacks.”
Taurean Casey played the game as well, and he felt it did a great job of delving into controversial topics without making people feel judged, attacked, or afraid to speak freely. He also said the game increased the players’ self-awareness:
“It’s so deep and so real that you are forced to question some of your own viewpoints.”
Casey said that role-playing as one of the characters helps players develop “a sense of self” with that character, “so when you’re going through the game, it’s easier to identify with the real-life version of that character, what that person might go through, and to gain an understanding of how people are affected by things they have no control over.” He added:
[tweetshareinline tweet=”It was one of the easiest experiences that I’ve had to deal with such difficult topics.” username=”PM_Learn”]
And, according to Bianca Rae Hernandez, WeWork Penn Station’s Front Desk Associate who helped organize the activities, “It was super collaborative, and it was great to see that people wanted to participate.” Hernandez called PML’s team members “humble, amazing people to work with.” (No arguments here!)
Jefferson said she “would recommend The American Dream game to everyone, older and younger, because it really is fun.”
And, Hernandez added, “It was a great event. We would definitely do it again, hands-down.”
If you are interested in scheduling your own American Dream experience, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
Point Made Learning is the consulting and programming extension of Point Made Films, a production company focused on telling stories about the many layers of American identity. We use documentary film to facilitate productive discussions around the most uncomfortable topics we face in American society – starting with racism. We’ve taken an innovative approach to raising awareness and organizing communities through our unique combination of storytelling, real talk, and digital tools. We tell true stories and teach powerful lessons about issues that matter.
Since the release of the documentary film I’m Not Racist… Am I?, Point Made Learning (PML) has held more than 400 screenings and workshops across the United States. Facilitated by senior members of our staff, these events engage diverse audiences and help communities think, learn, and – most importantly – talk about race and racism in ways they don’t often get a chance to do.
André and Catherine address the crowd at The Ohio State University’s screening of “I’m Not Racist… Am I?”
Some of our events involve a screening of the 90-minute film, followed by a 30-minute Q&A. Sometimes we get a chance to go a lot deeper, when organizers make a commitment to plan a series of events that engage every segment of their city over the course of several days. It takes a ton of work to make that happen, but the impact can be far-reaching and significant.
For those of you thinking about hosting your own I’m Not Racist… Am I? screenings and workshops, we think that reading about what other groups have done might be helpful in your planning process. We’ve reached out to a few of the people who have been instrumental in some of our larger programs across the U.S. and asked them to talk about what went into planning and executing, what worked/what didn’t, and what they wish they’d known.
Keep reading to learn about our March 2015 programming at Ohio State.
“I envisioned a big screening, and then a smaller set of workshops for people we thought could be allies and leaders on the campus moving forward,” said Koritha Mitchell, Associate Professor of English at OSU and the events’ principal organizer. “And oh my goodness, it went much better than I thought!”
Mitchell partnered with the Wexner Center for the Arts, a major Ohio venue for all things theater and film, to find a space for the screening. As the guest list grew, though, the Wexner Center suggested moving the event from their own space to a larger one — the Mershon Auditorium — and it’s a good thing they did: On the night of the screening, approximately 750 people turned up to watch the film and participate in the post-screening discussion led by PML’s Catherine Wigginton Greene and André Robert Lee.
“The workshops were really powerful… I heard nothing but positive things about them for months afterwards…”
“I was amazed at how many people came,” Mitchell said. “It was the Monday after Spring Break, so there was plenty of reason to be worried that no one would come, but we still ended up with such a good turnout. I left that thinking that people want to have the language to be able to talk about this stuff.”
The day after the screening, OSU held two workshops to, as PML likes to say, “Look Deeper” into the questions of race and racism that come up in the film, and to learn how to lead productive conversations about those topics at OSU and in the greater Columbus community.
“The workshops were really powerful,” Mitchell said. “I heard nothing but positive things about them for months afterwards. It made my co-sponsors feel like they were getting special treatment, and it capped off that experience and took it to a more personal level. It felt really good.”
Attendees of the workshop at The Ohio State University in Mershon Auditorium,
Reflecting on the Event
In our discussion with Mitchell, she discussed what it took to bring the screening and workshops to life. Here are some of the highlights from our Q&A.
PML: Once you had the idea, what were the steps you took toward making it a reality?
KM: I started by working with the Point Made team, and they sent me all the details I needed. That allowed me to go to my department chair and say that I wanted to put this on, and my department chair was willing to support me. We put together a small committee with people that we felt should be stakeholders … I contacted all the department chairs and decision makers to see if they’d put money toward it, and I underscored that I thought this could be something we could work toward continuing, to identify people who would be invested in this going forward.
I also booked a caterer. Even though a lot of people didn’t think it needed to be catered, I was adamant about it because I didn’t want people to be hungry and fidgety … and I feel like that worked to our benefit as well.
PML: Once you knew the event was officially going to happen, how did you go about promoting it? What strategies/methods did you use to attract an audience?
KM: I had all of the cosponsors send it to their listservs so that the departments would announce it, and anyone associated with those departments would see it.
I think what I did that was unusual was that I was able to get myself on the radio, the urban station here, because they have a community show where they interview people about community things. And I used one of the contacts from a partner department so I could get on the show.
I also contacted leaders at all of the private schools here. I sent personal emails to the leaders at each school, and they clearly shared the message.
Catherine chats with local reporters at OSU.
Also, I got 10TV (the Columbus CBS affiliate) to come. They did a story in advance of the screening, and they aired it more than once because we did it well enough in advance. On the night of the event, they came back, and they interviewed people in the crowd before they saw it, and afterward. And once I had clips (from the TV and radio press), then I could share those clips on Facebook and social media. And I sent people emails including those links to former students, and lots of people.
PML: How did you ensure that the audience attending the event would feature a diverse representation of different communities and groups? And why was this important?
KM: I think I ensured it by having so many co-sponsors (14 of them) who had contacts that were different from mine. And I really pestered them to see who they thought I should reach out to.
PML: During the event, what were the most positive things you observed?
KM: Definitely realizing that I had a decent representation of high school students from the area … I thought, OK, they’re not having these conversations in their classrooms, and they want to be. And the impact from the Q&A — we could have gone on and on.
[tweetshareinline tweet=”I left… thinking that people want to have the language to be able to talk about this stuff” username=”PM_Learn”]
PML: What did you learn from this experience?
KM: I learned that I don’t mind organizing half as much as I thought!
PML: What advice do you have for other people who want to hold similar events? Say, your top 3 tips …
KM: One: For promotions, use a personal touch, plus whatever media you can get.
Two: Cultivate your stakeholders and make them feel like you need them to help you do everything. Like, you’re not making a decision without them, you don’t believe you can get the word out without them — it’s not just about them supplying money for the budget, it’s about them being as involved as they can be throughout this process. That gives them the belief that they are as committed as I am.
Three: Don’t miss the opportunity to spend as much time as you can with André, Catherine, and the Point Made staff. If it’s a budget issue, spend the extra money to have the additional workshop, or whatever other interaction. They model how you can continue to work in your space — watching them in action gives you tools for how you can facilitate difficult conversations going forward, because you’re going to need to have those conversations, and having the model from André and Catherine was one of the biggest things that I took away from it, as did everyone who encountered them.
If you are interested in hosting a Point Made Learning film screening or workshop, send us an email: programming@pointmade.com
Also, check out our new I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital Online Course — a valuable program for corporations, educational organizations & institutions, and individuals who want to Look Deeper into race and racism.
Point Made Learning is the consulting and programming extension of Point Made Films, a production company focused on telling stories about the many layers of American identity. We use documentary film to facilitate productive discussions around the most uncomfortable topics we face in American society – starting with racism. We’ve taken an innovative approach to raising awareness and organizing communities through our unique combination of storytelling, real talk, and digital tools. We tell true stories and teach powerful lessons about issues that matter.