Race Amity Film Series

 The Baha'i Community of Oak Park is dedicated to addressing historical and ongoing injustices faced by people of African descent. We aim to foster awareness and understanding through education, dialogue, and action, actively confronting racist attitudes. Committed to unity, equality, and justice, we strive to create an inclusive environment where all individuals are valued. Achieving racial justice requires sustained effort, as it is a vital and challenging issue. Our goal is to contribute to the movement for equality and social change, guided by Baha'i teachings on the oneness of humanity. Each screening includes a safe discussion for deeper understanding.

 All Are Welcome
Mature audiences recommended.

Saturday March 15, 2025 and April 12, 2025

Maywood Public Library
121 S. 5th Avenue
Maywood, Il 60153
Register: MaywoodLibary.org
Unity Discussion Group

Friday October 4th, 2024, at 7:00 PM

Film: Intergenerational Trauma from slavery and Jim Crow: Impact on Blacks and Whites

 An in-depth, historical look at slavery and Jim Crow, and how intergenerational trauma has
 affected blacks and whites. Presented by world renowned Dr. Joy Degruy.

Oak Park Baha’i Faith Community Center
124 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL 60304

Film: Intergenerational Trauma from slavery and Jim Crow: Impact on Blacks and Whites
Saturday October 5th from 12 - 1:30 PM
Discussion to immediately follow

Maywood Public Library
121 S. 5th Avenue
Maywood, Il 60153

Friday November 1st, 2024, 7:00 PM

Film: Dissolving the Barriers to Connection: Point of Relation

This film will discuss how fear and ignorance impact our ability to recognize our fundamental oneness, and what’s needed for American society to come together to heal our collective wounds. Dr. DeGruy has spent a lengthy career in what she calls “heart work” – bringing people together to share their stories and generate a level of intimacy, empathy, and understanding that can only be gained through first-hand experience.

She and Thomas explore how trauma has been normalized for marginalized groups and the need for those with privilege to examine their biases, particularly anti-black racism, and use their power to advocate for what’s right. They discuss our collective tendency to try to avoid feelings and upsetting information, and how we must do the opposite and lean into these difficult learnings and conversations in order to stop repeating the harms that sow division.

Oak Park Baha’i Faith Community Center
124 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL 60304

Film: Dissolving the Barriers to Connection: Point of Relation
Saturday, November 2nd, 12 -1:30 PM
Discussion immediately following

Maywood Public Library
121 S. 5th Avenue
Maywood, Il 60153

Friday December 13th, 2024, at 7:00 PM

Film: Race Amity: The Healing for Racial Trauma

A series of progressive Race Amity vignettes. Forging a path to Race Amity. This is the key to the future of this country.

Oak Park Baha’i Faith Community Center
124 Madison Street
Oak Park, IL 60304

Film: Race Amity: The Healing for Racial Trauma
Saturday, December 14, 12 -1:30 PM
Discussion immediately following

Maywood Public Library
121 S. 5th Avenue
Maywood, Il 60153

Friday May 3, 2024 at 7:00 PM

Film: Black Boys

In a nation still struggling to rectify its racial legacy - BLACK BOYS illuminates the full humanity of Black boys and men in America.

Friday June 7, 2024 at 7:00 PM

FILM: Pushout: The Criminalization of Girls in Schools

PUSHOUT  is the criminalization and miseducation of African American girls that has led to their alarming high school dropout rate and increase into the juvenile justice system.

Friday July 5, 2024 at 7:00 PM

FILM: Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2021)

(Pivotal role HBCUs have played over the course of 150 years)

The history of black colleges and universities in America, which have educated the architects of freedom movements and cultivated leaders in every field.

Friday Aug 2, 2024 at 7:00 PM

FILM: TELL THEM WE ARE RISING: THE STORY OF BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Interweaving lecture, personal anecdotes, interviews, and revelations, ACLU deputy legal director Jeffery Robinson draws a stark timeline of anti-Black racism in the United States, from slavery to modern America.