INRAI Digital Archives - Point Made Learning

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.

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 May 2017 programming in Des Moines, Iowa.

Iowa Public Radio interviews Catherine Wigginton-Greene, director of "I'm Not Racist... Am I?"
Iowa Public Radio interviews Catherine Wigginton-Greene, director of “I’m Not Racist… Am I?”

This past May, a number of community groups collaborated with Point Made Learning to bring I’m Not Racist… Am I? (INRAI) to Des Moines, Iowa. There, partnerships forged between church groups, high schools and Drake University made it possible for the film to screen three different times — twice at local high schools, and once at the Drake University auditorium. Among the audiences who watched the film were the faculty from every Des Moines area high school (approximately 600 teachers total), high school and college students, and community members interested in deepening the conversation about race and racism.

One of the screenings’ primary organizers, Sheena Thomas, got involved when members of Des Moines’ Anti-Racism Collaborative reached out to her because they were all part of a multi-church network called AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy). Thomas was able to secure grant money to fund the screenings, and she was able to recruit local stakeholders to join in the planning process.

For the Des Moines community, screening the film was about more than hosting a neighborhood movie night; the organizers intended for INRAI to help people tackle difficult issues that affect many groups in their area. For example, Thomas said, the local high schools have a major issue with out-of-school suspensions and the “School to Prison Pipeline” that primarily affects minority populations.

“That is a huge problem here,” said Thomas. “Iowa has one of the highest incarceration rates for minorities in the pipeline … so there is a lot of work to be done here, and that was a rationale for bringing this in to the schools.”

According to Thomas, many people “just don’t get” why issues of race and racism are so important. “They don’t have to live with it in any way, shape or form,” she said, “so it’s hard to get them to understand, to see things differently, from another perspective.”

Like the stone Sisyphus was pushing up the hill over and over, the issues of racism and white privilege will not go away without more and more education.

Films like INRAI are a major aid in reaching those people and helping them find the alternative perspectives of which Thomas speaks. She said, “The films generated enough discussion and provocation that people were still discussing it long after the showing, and I thought that was really good.” She added that one of the organizers’ goals was “to develop enough sensitivity so that we’d have some leaders who wanted to pursue doing something on the subject,” and that has been the case — after the events, young adults created a Race Education Committee, an adult group formed to discuss these issues, and the Anti-Racism Collaborative held a speaker series for AMOS members to attend.

When asked why hosting events like the INRAI screenings is important, Thomas was direct: “Like the stone Sisyphus was pushing up the hill over and over, the issues of racism and white privilege will not go away without more and more education. That’s why.”

Inside the Planning and Promotion Process

In our discussion with Thomas, she discussed what it took to bring the screenings 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?

Sheena Thomas: The Anti-Racism Collaborative was very good about saying, ‘Let’s have meetings,” and setting dates, and getting things done before each meeting which needed to be done. We worked on who we were going to market to … then it was working on the marketing and working to get interviews for (PML’s) Catherine Wigginton Greene to do with two TV stations and the public radio station. Also, we had posters that we put up all over for the screenings, around the churches and shop windows, and around Roosevelt High School. And I was able to get a billboard — several billboards — as places for community publicity.

PML: If you could do the process over again, what is one thing you’d do differently?

ST: I would start the public marketing earlier, and it would have been better to have Catherine’s interviews air a little sooner to give people in the public more info and time to plan. Oh, and because I thought we might be overrun or overwhelmed with people attending, I suggested sign-ups online. That may have actually deterred people from coming.

 PML: Was there anything that happened which really surprised you? What was it, and why was it surprising? 

ST: Getting to know the members of the Anti-Racism Collaborative, the students of the groups at two of the Des Moines High Schools, the faculty and administrators in charge of school climate and their eagerness and thoughtfulness were surprising to me. Also, the total backing we received from staff and foundation at Plymouth Church was amazing. One of the people on the foundation was instrumental in helping us get our marketing done.

 PML: Overall, what were the biggest challenges you faced as an organizer? How did you respond to these challenges?

ST: My biggest challenge was working on the organizing in and around my job. There was a lot of emailing that had to be done and which did impinge on my work time at my shop and on my home time as well. I was very grateful for the others who were also organizing on their own.

 PML: What advice do you have for other people who want to hold similar events? Say, your top 3 tips…

ST: One: Start early — 9 months before the event was good in our case.

Two: Get buy-in from several groups and collaborate in the planning. And share the costs.

Three: Market like crazy and use the resources offered by Point Made Learning when doing so.

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.

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.

Earlier this month, Point Made Learning (PML) partnered with WeWork to organize a community-wide event related to our newest initiatives – the I’m Not Racist… Am I? Digital Course and “The American Dream” Life-Size Game Experience. Read on to learn more about the program and to hear from participants about the game’s impact.


Livin’ the Dream

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.

I’m Not Racist… Am I? Goes Digital

This fall, after three years and more than 300 – and counting – I’m Not Racist… Am I? live screenings around the country, we are launching INRAI Digital, an online course built around the film and all the lessons we’ve learned on the road with it.

This fall, after three years and more than 300 – and counting – I’m Not Racist… Am I? live screenings around the country, we are launching INRAI Digital, an online course built around the film and all the lessons we’ve learned on the road with it.

This program is for companies wanting to provide their employees with an engaging way to develop a deeper understanding of racial equity and inclusion – in a judgment-free, private learning experience that can be done at their own pace.

Highlights include:

  • Three hours of content in eight learning modules, featuring segments of the documentary, along with lessons, quizzes, and reflection exercises.
  • Stories of young people going through a learning process that will inspire users to approach lessons on race and racism with a growth mindset, rather than being told what to do and what to say by “talking head” experts.
  • Compelling narrative thread throughout the course keeps users engaged – [tweetshareinline tweet=”this is the type of diversity training they’ll want to do.” username=”PM_Learn”]

We’ll say up front that this program isn’t for everyone. It takes people beyond the edge of their comfort zone and we believe that, at this point, only companies and organizations really looking for something innovative and out-of-the-box will be interested.

But if you think your colleagues working on diversity and inclusion might be interested in learning more, watch the three-minute video below that describes the course. And then contact us for a free demo.