Congregational Renewal Report – April 5, 2017
by Jane Porchey
Book studies and discussion groups may not be right for all of us. But your Renewal Curriculum Committee is committed to educating everyone, so here are some suggestions of TV shows and movies you might appreciate.
Recent TV series – such as This is Us; Chicago Med, PD, Fire, and Justice; Black-ish; The Talk (a recent PBS special), and Shots Fired cover issues of Black and White head on. Black-ish even does it with humor!
There have also been a number of movies in the last few years, many of which are now on demand or online. Zootopia, which is an animated story and good for the whole family, heads our list. Queen of Katwe is also family fare. More mature viewers may be interested in Hidden Figures, Lincoln, Loving, Race, Fences, Lion, The Help, and Mr. Church. Rather intense in plot are Moonlight and Twelve Years a Slave.
FURTHER “RENEWAL 2017 ” MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES
THEATER
Black Rep Theater:
March 29 – Apr. 23, 2017 – Seven Guitars – A tale of how life is stacked against Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton, Blues singer, and his friends.
Black Rep Theater:
May 24 – June 18, 2017 – Crossin Over – About music of faith, spirituals and gospel from roots in Africa.
OTHER
On Internet: The First Time I Discovered I Was White by John Blake, at CNN.com
Missouri History Museum – Civil Rights Exhibit Open through April 15, 2018. Examines local civil rights efforts.
The Civil War and the Birth of Human Rights in the United States by Professor Timothy S. Huebner. Friday, April 21, 7 – 8:30 PM, at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site, 7400 Grant Rd.
Racial Justice Book Club will be discussing The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. April 13, 5:30 – 6:30 PM at the Richmond Heights Community Center, 8001 Dale Ave.