Light in the Shadows: Staying at the Table When the Conversation about Race Gets HardPosted in Media Archive, United States, Videos, Women on 2015-10-11 17:39Z by Steven |
Light in the Shadows: Staying at the Table When the Conversation about Race Gets Hard
World Trust Films
2010
DVD, 00:45:00
United States
Shakti Butler, Director and Producer
Light in the Shadows: Staying at the Table When the Conversation about Race Gets Hard records a frank dialogue among two white women and several women of color. The film uses their conflict as a learning tool to illumine how conversations on race often break down along lines of race and power.
When the cross-racial conversation gets hard during diversity initiatives & equity efforts, emotions can arise and people may walk away discouraged. This film & its conversation guide are designed to support inquiry:
- How can we recognize the patterns and obstacles that cause people, who are committed to working together, to leave the table?
- How can white activists stay at the table when confronted with the pain caused by privilege?
- How can people of color be empowered in cross-cultural relationships?
This film is challenging. As such, it is designed for those who are ready to take another step in learning, or wish to develop facilitation skills that invite deeper listening and truth-telling. ”The conversation in this film takes place around a metaphorical round table at which everyone has an equal seat. This challenges the power dynamics of white culture,” says the filmmaker, Shakti Butler.
Light in the Shadows is a frank conversation about race among ten women who participated in the ground-breaking film The Way Home. These American women of Indigenous, African, Arab/Middle Eastern, European, Jewish, Asian, Latina and Mixed Race descent, use authentic dialogue to crack open a critical door of consciousness.
What lies behind it is a perspective on race that is often unseen/ unnoticed within the dominant culture. With clear language, open hearts and a willingness to engage – even when it gets hard – these women travel over roads that demonstrate why valuable discourse on race is so laden with emotion, distrust and misunderstanding. Light in the Shadows is a springboard for critical self-inquiry and inter-ethnic dialogue.
Read the conversation guide here.