New Films for Diversity Classes, Workshops, and Dialogues

Tutu and Franklin:
A Journey Towards Peace

This powerful new film chronicles the meeting of two great statesmen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, head of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and Dr. John Hope Franklin, leader of the White House Advisory Board on Race. They meet on Goree Island, a former slave port off the coast of Senegal, where they are joined by an international, interracial group of students. The video documents the conversations and discoveries of both men and the students, revealing racial and ethnic relations in a global, as well as personal perspective. The film premiered on PBS on February 9, 2001. Resource materials are available to guide discussion following viewing of the film. Produced by and available for purchase from Wisdom Works (www.wisdomworks.net; 202/234-0668).

Long Night's Journey Into Day

Long Night's Journey Into Day documents the impact of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's work as it investigated the crimes of apartheid in South Africa and brought together victims and perpetrators to relive the country's brutal history. This film follows four cases over a period of two years, highlighting themes of conflict, forgiveness, and renewal. A useful film for African, ethnic and racial studies, and social justice courses, Long Night's Journey Into Day shows viewers that even bitter ethnic and racial conflicts can be overcome through honest and open communication. The film was produced by Frances Reid, director of the acclaimed film Skin Deep. Distributed by California Newsreel (www.newsreel.org).

Women Organize!

Women Organize! portrays women organizers involved in activism for racial, social, and economic justice across the United States. The half-hour video gives a glimpse of a diverse group of women's activists whose work ranges from working with high school girls in a low income neighborhood in the Northwest to working with Asian immigrant women factory workers organizing for decent working conditions to speaking out for Black homosexual men and lesbians against homophobia. This video is an excellent resource for use in women's studies, ethnic studies, service learning, and other social transformation courses. Distributed by Women Make Movies (www.wmm.com).

First Person Plural

First Person Plural tells the story of Deann Borshay, a Korean girl whom an American couple adopted during her stay in an orphanage in Korea. In the United States, Borshay grows up as a typical all-American young woman who believes that her birth family is deceased. However, recurring dreams with images from her past drive her to discover that her Korean family is alive and well. The film documents Borshay's life in America and includes a meeting between her birth and adoptive families, after which she realizes that she must pass through the difficult process of integrating her American and Korean identities. Distributed by the National Asian American Telecommunications Association (www.naatanet.org).