Former ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson’s groundbreaking talk on the history of U.S. anti- Black racism is interwoven with archival footage, interviews, and Robinson's story, exploring the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it.
In 'Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America', Robinson asks all of us to examine who we are, where we come from, and who we want to be. Anchored by Robinson’s Town Hall performance, the film interweaves historical and present-day archival footage, Robinson’s personal story, and vérité and interview footage capturing Robinson’s meetings with Black change-makers and eyewitnesses to history. From a hanging tree in Charleston, South Carolina, to a walking tour of the origins of slavery in colonial New York, to the site of a 1947 lynching in rural Alabama, the film brings history to life, exploring the enduring legacy of white supremacy and our collective responsibility to overcome it.
The film will be available for viewing Thursday, October 20 through Monday, October 24. Registration is required by Friday October 21 at noon in order to receive the viewing information.
There will be a virtual talkback to held on Monday, October 24, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Register for the film and talkback here.
Jeffery Robinson is the executive director of the Who We Are Project and a former Deputy Legal Director at the National ACLU and the Director of the ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality, which houses the organization's work on criminal and racial justice issues. A graduate of Harvard Law School in 1981, Jeffrey has been listed in Best Lawyers in America since 1993 and has been selected as one of the top 100 Black lawyers in America by Black Enterprise Magazine
The talkback event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council and Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church.