http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UyvoSaocUQ

This is a link to the trailer for " The Devil Came on Horseback".  As you can see in the trailer it is about the experiences of a ceasefire monitor for the African Union while he was in Dar Fur.  There are a lot of explicit pictures in this film taken from the ground and the air, because that was the job of the monitor.  He was there to take pictures, and was not allowed to interfere in any way. 

There is a lot of frustration expressed in the film on the part of the observer.  He was in the army before he had this job and didn't like being in the situation and not be able to help.  There is a point where he talks about how he is sitting in the same place on the helicopter as he did when he was a gunner, but there is no gun.  He wants to stop what is going on and he feels like having a half dozen gunships would be all that they would need to end the conflict.
 
I think that the hardest part of the film to watch is a part where the observation chopper watches the government military stand by as a whole village is killed and burned.  The government troops even tell the observers to just leave. There are obvious tracks on the ground from where the Janjawid had come and talked with the military group just a few minutes before. 

 There is also a good message about what we can do here in the U.S to try to stop this genocide from continuing. There is a large section of the film concerning activism and work with Save Darfur.  Also since this film came out the president of the Sudan has been indited for war crimes including genicide,  this makes it so that he is pretty much stuck in Sudan because most countries have signed a UN treaty against Genocide.  Unfortunately that treaty has yet to be effective in the prevention of genocide.

Here is a link the website for the movie if you want to learn more about the film, if you want to watch it you can get it from netflix or buy it for about $15:  http://www.thedevilcameonhorseback.com/

 

"Crash" has approximately 1.5 millions topics relevant to this course ;)

have fun!

The 1915 motion picture "The Birth of a Nation" can be found on youtube broken into 20 nine minute segments.  I'm not asking you to watch the whole thing.  However, the clip below is the final 9 minutes of the film.  The premise of the movie is to depict the civil war as seen through the eyes of two brothers.  In the first few minutes of this last 9 minutes, the Ku Klux Klan is given heroic role, rescuing the poor white citizens from the menacing black invaders.  By the end of the film, all of the black soldiers are dead and the white characters are now able to live their lives in peace.

 

The Birth of a Nation

Now, it would be a stretch for me, white, middle class, 2010 Jeff to say that "yes, this is blatantly racist" or "no, it's merely a recreation of history".  There is a LOAD of literature about this film, if you care to dive into it.  However, the point of this post is to inquire as to whether time period is a valid excuse for something so point blank racist.  It has been nearly 100 years and I think it is safe to say things have changed since then.  The civil rights movement, NAACP, etc.  But can we look at a film like this and appreciate it for a piece of art: it was a very revolutionary film (one of the first full length films of its time, one of the first to try to depict war etc) and without films such as this (racism aside) we might not have the Hollywood of today.  Or, is it impossible to see beyond the images and intolerance?

These are two articles regarding the movie "Precious" that is out at select theaters now. It actually won the Sundance Film Festival and has been nominated for several Oscars. The story which is based on the novel PUSH by Sapphire is about a 15 year old girl from Harlem who is overweight, has an abusive mother, and is pregnant with her second child by her father. Stigmas are an important part of this movie, as are poverty, education, and welfare.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120176695

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/magazine/25precious-t.html?pagewanted=6&_r=1

The Department of Modern Languages is hosting a film series based on Immigration, Racism and Discrimination issues in the America's (North, Central, & South) Mondays' 7:00pm in the CAC room 108.

 James Day, Mr. & Mrs. Roland Carrillo, Dr. Janet McClain, including Brittney & Myself are hosting a one month series of Study Circles Open Dialog on Racism. Location In the CME, Saturdays (Feb 6,13,20,27) from 12:00pm-2:00pm. Contact Alex : esquivea@uni.edu             

BSU (Black Student Union) is asking for help in Hosting a Maze of Oppression (Immigration, Racial profiling, genocide, Classroom (brown eyes/blue eyes), and two others segments. Looking for actors, help designing props.  February 24, 2010, 6pm-10pm. Within the Month of February there are talks about having a non-violent March from UNI to College Square Mall. Planning is in Progress. Contact Ebony Jackson at jacksone@uni.edu BSU president    

Anyone interested in being on a radio talk show about Racism. Dates are being scheduled for either evening/ or weekends. contact: Mr. Day at www.daytime@cfu.net
 

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPYyOtO-fQE&feature=related

Another powerful scene from the great debaters, watch and see what do you feel? What emotions are triggered?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRuNcGDPzA8&feature=related

This scene from the Great Debaters is very powerful as it talks about education and how some minorities feel in the past, and in now present day.

Most Hispanic/ Latino families are a tight net family, not wanting their child to leave home. I can recall when I was leaving San Antonio to come to UNI, I distinctly  remember my fathers words, just before I got into the U-haul truck to drive away.   "Your making a mistake, your going to a white state that doesn't care about you because the color of your skin." My response was "If I don't try, or if I don't take this opportunity how will I ever know, that I can accomplish a goal in obtaining an education, unlike yourself!" 

For most of you who do read you my be thinking what and asshole, how can he  talk to his father like that. I believe that we should honor our mother and fathers as it say's in the 10 commandments, but you have to look at the big picture. Most parent are supportive of there children, giving them encouragement, and praise and the blessing to do what they feel is right, but I come from a family that really never showed that. I can say in a way that I had to raise myself; from the age of 14, I started working to help in supporting the family (two siblings, and my single father.)  Both of my parents did not have the education in which they should have had (mom dropping out in the 8th grade, and my dad in the 4th grade.) There belief is that a man should work to support a family. The reality of it a parent should be the parent and learn responsibility, and a child needs to be a child to learn and develop.  

Sorry all, I couldn't help but think of this clip from "Anchorman", though many of our peers may not have much more insight into the meaning of "diversity" than Ron Burgundy himself....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxniiAG67hA

This is the last part of King's timeless Mountaintop speech-- the final words Martin Luther King Jr. proclaimed before his death the following day. On this MLK holiday, it is important to reflect upon just what the King legacy is, how far we have come with regard to racial justice in this country, and what distance must we still travel to fulfill King's vision of the promised land. 

The following are films related to stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination. They may reflect cultural stereotypes, relate an historical incident or highlight issues specifically related to prejudice and discrimination. Go to the Internet Movie Database (www.imdb.com) for details about each film. Feel free to add additional titles as comments.

9 to 5 (1980)

American History X (1998)

Avatar (2009)

Born on the 4th of July (1989)

Boys Don't Cry (1999)

Boyz in the Hood (1991)

Crash (2004)

Disclosure (1994)

Do the Right Thing (1989)

GI Jane (1997)

Gran Torino (2008)

Long Walk Home (1990)

Men of Honor (2000)

Mississippi Burning (1993)

Monster's Ball (2001)

People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Philadelphia (1993)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

Real Women Have Curves (2002)

Soul Food (1997)

Snow Dogs (2002)

Stand and Deliver (1988)

What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1988)

White Men Can't Jump (1992)