BFS to Host Exclusive Jackie Robinson Film Screening and Panel Discussion
You are invited to an exclusive screening of the documentary film Jackie Robinson. The 90-minute clip reel from the the 4-hour PBS documentary will be followed by a panel discussion featuring the filmmakers Sarah Burns and David McMahon. It will be moderated by Marcia Ely, Vice President of Programs and External Affairs at the Brooklyn Historical Society.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017, 6:00pm-8:30pm
375 Pearl Street
Meeting House
On Jan. 17, 2017, Middle and Upper school students viewed parts of the film in collections organized by Natania Kremer and Orinthia Swindell, co-chairs of the Department of Equity, Justice, and Civic Engagement. Tenth graders in their Service and Justice Seminar, shared their personal reflections, some of which are included below:
— empowering message – use your influence and popularity to speak truth to power
— there was so much I didn’t know about Jackie Robinson and his activism, particularly after his baseball career
— interesting to think about how he is taught today
— liked how they highlighted the reality that Jackie Robinson persevered (rather than emphasizing the white people that were “enlightened”)
— appreciated this emphasis instead of glorifying “white saviors”
— white allyship is praised even more than the activism of people of color
— moved by the support that Jackie received from Rachel, and the importance of their partnership and relationship
— moved by the importance of Jackie Robinson for children of all racial backgrounds — as a role model and a hero
— struck by the comparisons made between Jackie and Muhammad Ali, the way of separating and pitting activists of color against each other (like Dr. King vs. Malcolm X, and Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B.DuBois) –> “passive/peaceful” vs. “aggressive/violent”
— the media made Jackie more palatable and “sanitized”
— thinking about the role of media and who controls the narrative we learn
— noticing differences across gender in terms of response to athletes engaging in protest and activism
From President Barack Obama, on Jan. 16, 2017, when the World Champion Chicago Cubs visited him at the White House:
“Throughout our history, sports has had this power to bring us together, even when the country is divided. Sports has changed attitudes and culture in ways that seem subtle but that ultimately made us think differently about ourselves and who we were. It is a game and it is celebration, but there’s a direct line between Jackie Robinson and me standing here.”