GREENFIELD — Keyedrya Jacobs got her wish of starting a community dialogue about racism this week, when dozens of people tuned in to watch a movie online about the topic and stayed for the discussion afterward.
The Communities That Care Coalition showed “I’m Not Racist … Am I?” on Greenfield Community Television (GCTV), which livestreamed the documentary on Facebook, on Monday. The screening was followed by a discussion with Director Catherine Wigginton Greene and Producer Andre Robert Lee about how the next generation can confront racism.
The film brought together 12 teens from New York City for one school year to talk about race and privilege in a series of workshops and in conversations with friends and family members. It focuses on a Korean teen raised by white parents; a teen whose family is the only white one in her subsidized Harlem building; a young Black man who describes the way people “breathe differently” as he nears them on the subway; a biracial teen who is uncomfortable talking about race; and a young Black woman from the city’s affluent Upper West Side, among others.
Jacobs said she hopes the film inspires people to recognize and interrupt racism in their own lives. While people couldn’t actually speak after the film was over, they used the chat feature to make comments and pose questions.
Mesa Verde co-owner Amy McMahan said she brought the film to Jacobs’ attention because the director is a friends of hers.
“We hope this begins a lot of good conversations,” McMahan said after the screening. “It’s the second time I saw the movie, and there’s so much to digest. Their experiences touched me. I have so much more work to do.”
Lee said the film shows just how much systemic racism is playing out in those teens’ lives, such as the difference in funding that different schools get, for instance.
Lee and Greene both said they made the film with teens in mind, expecting to show it to other teens and start them thinking and talking about racism. However, they found that parents, teachers and administrators became interested, too.
Jacobs, who is a Black woman, said she saw many of her own experiences, particularly in one student. She recounted how she was “too white” for some and “too black” for others.
“I was whitewashed for some Black people,” she said. “There’s so much work to do. This is a lifelong journey. The film is transformative.”
McMahan, whose mother is Vietnamese, said people need to “re-educate” themselves about racism, because it’s “everyone’s history.” She said she grew up sheltered, like so many people who grow up living between cultures.
“Racism likes when we’re confused, instead of all working together,” Lee said. “We all have to grow and change, and learn to accept yourself.”
The screening was sponsored by the Communities That Care Coalition, GCTV, Greenfield Savings Bank, Mesa Verde and Greenfield Community College. To watch the trailer, visit gctv.org.
Reach Anita Fritz at 413-772-9591 or afritz@recorder.com.