Our story is not solely one of despair, victimization, malfeasance, and neglect. Or of prevailing against superhuman odds and obstacles, an equally oppressing and distressing stereotype. Stories about motherhood, and yes, fatherhood and marriage. Stories about failure, too, that can teach as much as a story about genius, an artist whose flame is snuffed out too soon, but blazes nonetheless, while it burns. Ordinary men, women, and children who are memorable as much for their ordinariness as for their courage in living.
Film is as a starting point for discussion about diversity, identity, and culture.
The opportunity for students, their families, and community members to engage with one another about the African-American experience is an important one. Each film attests, in its own way, to the power of every person to dream. The films address a rich historical and cultural legacy, and, I believe, the equally important need to be recognized, to be granted human dignity and humanity. Each of us has a story. While Vermont now reflects many cultures, some newer and less familiar nationalities from around the world, historically there have been few blacks here.