'Making Black America' documentary discussion group

In honor of Black History Month, The Falls Village Equity Project (FVEP) will host a film discussion on Zoom on Thursday, Feb. 23.

The subject will be Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr.’s, “Making Black America,” a PBS documentary series about the richness and resilience of Black culture despite the oppression faced by Black Americans.

The FVEP is a collaborative group of residents in Falls Village, Conn., who organize projects and gatherings with the goal of advancing a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. It is one of four project areas of the Falls Village Community Development Corporation.

Each month, group members watch a chosen documentary about equity and justice-related topics and gather to discuss. Some of the selections have included “Race: the Power of an Illusion,” “Delores,” and “Just Mercy.”

Last year, the group worked with local artist Rika Laser to design and install a crosswalk at the intersection of Main Street  and Beebe Hill Road. The artwork represents themes of equity and place that were generated through a community brainstorming process.

FVEP received grant funding from the Northwest Connecticut Community Foundation to invite the Connecticut Center for Nonviolence to bring a two-part MLK day educational program to Lee H. Kellogg middle schoolers.

“These film discussions have been the missing piece in my efforts to re-educate myself. It’s one thing to watch a movie at home by yourself — sure, you’ll learn something. But the discussions have allowed me to further process and cement what I’ve learned in a supportive, non judgmental space,” says group member and Falls Village resident Maria Grusauskas.

Kyle Wilkinson, another group member and Falls Village resident calls the discussions “insightful and enriching, exposing me to a series of great documentary films celebrating unsung heroes like Pauli Murray and Dolores Huerta.”

Participants can pre-watch the series and RSVP to the discussion by contacting fvequitygroup@gmail.com.

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