On A Reflective Day

Why ponder thus the future to foresee
and jade thy brain to vain perplexity?
Cast off thy care, leave Allah's plans to him -
He formed them all without consulting thee.

-Omar Khayyam, The Rubaiyat

Wrap up from the Deutsche Welle Media in Peacebuilding Conference

What exactly can and should media do in places of conflict? What dangers come with peacebuilding and conflict prevention? These and other questions were the topics of discussion at the first Deutsche Welle Global Media Forum, which was held June 2 - 4in Bonn, Germany.

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi (above) spoke during the conference's opening day. "When violence is detected, the human conscience is also awakened," Ebadi said. "There you can find an answer. Journalistic work is both a dangerous and a holy job."

Ebadi highlighted simple and profound points around journalistic practices that to me were the most poignant messages coming out of the conference. "Mentioning the religion of someone who is convicted of a crime can lead to war," Ebadi said.

Below is an interview with Southeast Asian blogger Jotman, who was first to report the 2006 coup in Thailand and has been a persistant voice for resistance monks and cyclone victims in Burma. I couldn't show Jotman's face because of his work... so you'll soon figure out why the interview is titled "Talk to the Hand".



More interview posts from the conference can be found on PauletteFilms

This is What a Feminist Looks Like

Someone asked me recently where I felt the energy was on Shenandoah University campus... well there's a lot of energy to choose from, but notable this semester was Dr. Amy Sarch Schopick's Women's Studies classes. She's pulling in young men and women from all corners of the campus. Together Amy and her students are breaking taboos, enlightening the community and doing amazing interactive projects to empower and to heal.

One of the many creative projects was the "Break the Glass, Break the Silence" event where more than 40 people gathered to write messages against violence on pieces of glass and then threw them from a ladder, shattering below. The shards are being incorporated into mosaics.



http://www.winchesterstar.com/article_details.php?ArticleID=6248

These classes have had a stunning impact on the students and those around them. One student's mother told me her daughter took over the family Easter table in her eagerness to share all that she was learning.

"I had an awareness some sexual violence even against children was going on," said the mom, who is a retired elementary school teacher. "But this class has made it clear how deeply destructive the issues are."

A male student's writing further illustrates the impact. Here's what he sent to Amy at the end of the semester:

"When I first came into the class I could say I wasn't a feminist because I thought the whole thing was a joke just a class, but as I kept coming I started to see that I was....I had to change my mind on the whole feminist movement; I was rejecting it, not even trying to give it a chance, like girl I didn't like or something. But it started to grow on me, I started to see that it was more than just a word, people really had strong feelings about this stuff. ..."

He goes on to write about Betty Kilby Fisher, the character in the Wit, Will and Walls documentary who spoke to the class about her experiences with violence she experienced as a plaintiff to desegregate Warren County, VA schools in the 1950s.

"...the lady that came and told her story of how she was raped in school just broke me down and I wanted to snap. This lady seemed very sweet and nice and for someone to just take what's her without her giving it to them pissed me off. It felt like I knew her, like she was an aunt or grandmother of mine. That's when I really gained a new respect for the whole feminist movement. I feel like it's my duty to empower guys about feminism. It's been a many of day when I get out of class and go talk to my boys about what I learned in class... I feel I can help make a small change in my area where I live. So I'm proud to say I'm a feminist."

Photos Scott Mason, Winchester Star

Seeing Selma, Alabama

Took a slow train to Birmingham, Alabama and now making our way through Selma to Montgomery on a little tour of the Civil Rights South.

Selma is a German name meaning "divine protector" or "helmet of God" and it feels in this famously racially torn town there seems to be a surge of pride and realignment of priorities.

The historic St. James Hotel where we are staying is owned by black entrepreneur Nathaniel Goldston. He is revitalizing the entire block around the building. We met Chef Richard Graves out back this morning, watering his herb garden and he told us his cuisine is about health, freshness, goodness.

Just down the block at the National Voting Rights Museum and Institute, consultant Sam Walker presided.

http://www.selmavotingrightsmuseum.org/#

http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/civilrights/al4.htm





Sam showed us the jaw dropping "I Was There Wall" where hundreds of notes are posted from foot soldiers and other participants in the historic march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on Bloody Sunday, March 7, 1965. One surprise was a note from a state trooper who had been called in as back-up from Mobile, Alabama on the day of the protest. He had no background on the march and took part in beating the protesters. He was so disturbed by his actions that one month later he resigned.



Segregationist icon Sheriff Jim Clark had less of a remarkable turn around. Sam told us he was tipped off several years back that Clark was at a local restaurant meeting with would-be writers of his biography. Sam took a busload of schoolchildren from New York over to meet with Clark. Clark refused to be interviewed and told the children that if "you had been there, I'd have whupped your asses too."

Wow.

Wit, Will and Walls - The Trailer

Here is a YouTube trailer for Wit, Will and Walls, the short documentary I directed, produced and wrote with Shenandoah University that profiles Betty Kilby Fisher, who at 13-years-old was plaintiff in the 1958 case to desegregate Warren County Schools. Through the trauma she and her family suffered, Betty found a way to heal herself and help others open up around issues of race.

For more information about scheduling the full 20 minute film for a screening and discussion with Betty Kilby contact paulette@paulettefilms.com.

Watch 5 minutes now on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nH-GypdBy4

2007 Films Directed by Women

In honor of Women's History Month - here's a list posted by Women in Film and Video, DC.



2 Days in Paris by Julie Delpy (picture above)

Across the Universe by Julie Taymor

After the Wedding by Susanne Bier

August Rush by Kirstenn Sheridan

Away from Her by Sarah Polley

Avenue Montaigne by Danielle Thompson

Blame it on Fidel by Julie Gavras

Blood and Chocolate by Katja Von Garnier

Broken English by Zoe Cassavates

Catch and Release by Susannah Grant

Diggers by Katherine Diekman

Gray Matters by Sue Kramer

Introducing the Dwights by Cherie Nowlan

Itty Bitty Titty Committee by Jamie Babbit

Jane Austen Book Club by Robin Swicord

Om Shanti Om by Farah Khan

Persepolis Co-directed by Marjane Satrapi

Rails and Ties by Alison Eastwood

Red Road by Andrea Arnold

Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour by Lisa Comrie

Screamers by Carla Garapedian

Sherrybaby by Laurie Collyer

Stephanie Daley by Hilary Brougher

Talk to Me by Kasi Lemmons

The Namesake by Mira Nir

The Nanny Diaries by Shari Spinger Berman

The Savages by Tamara Davis

Things We Lost in the Fire by Susanne Bier

Tortilla Heaven by Judy Hecht Dumontet

Waitress by Adrienne Shelly

Save the Date and RSVP

A special event in Washington, DC...

Come experience Eastern Mennononite University CJP's pioneering program to address the legacy of slavery in U.S.racial relations, "Coming to the Table." Descendants of slaves and slaveholders invite you to join them at the "Table of Brotherhood" envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Documentary film "Wit, Will and Walls" by Shenandoah University filmmaker Paulette Moore and coffeehouse discussion at Busboys & Poets Café, 2021 14th St., NW, Washington, DC, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29. Free (donations accepted).

The invitation is posted at: http://www.emu.edu/cjp/event-2008-03-29.pdf. Space is
limited, so please register as indicated on the invitation.

Op-Ed on Race Relations in Richmond Times

An intensely scheduled life has kept me from blogging lately - but I have been doing some writing. Here is an op-ed I wrote for black history month that appeared in the Richmond Times Dispatch in February.

http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/opinion/oped.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-02-10-0123.html

By PAULETTE MOORE
TIMES-DISPATCH GUEST COLUMNIST

WINCHESTER Black History Month presents an opportunity to look at the state of race relations in our country. The problem is, we lack processes to examine where we are in that realm. The media once presented proof of injustices that led to the civil rights bat tles. The screen images we now see are fleeting and fractured and there is an unspoken unease around race. We are unsure where to begin, how to proceed, or what we are supposed to be talking about.

Nobody can ignore recent progress; Condoleezza Rice is secretary of state, Sen. Barack Obama is a front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, and Oprah Winfrey is one of the most powerful persons in the entertainment industry. Yet disturbing issues around race constantly bubble up then disappear into the ether without a way for us to make sense of them.

When racial tension around teens in Jena, La., exploded, protesters journeyed south to demonstrate, then everyone went home. A black woman, kidnapped and tortured in West Virginia, has fallen away from our national consciousness. A sportscaster suggested up-and-coming golfers lynch Tiger Woods in an alley. In reporting the story, Golfweek magazine's image of a noose on its cover shows us that something about the way we see, relate, and talk to one another around race is not working.

Five decades ago the country settled its racial struggles through a series of legal battles. That was the first phase of desegregation. Perhaps the unease we continue to experience around race tells us it is time to address these issues on another, more emotional and personal level.

PEACE-BUILDING and conflict resolution experts advocate the use of storytelling as a way to do that. Recently, narrative was used to settle clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland and as the main vehicle for South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A North Carolina-based program called The Listening Project interviews citizens in conflicted areas around the world to find hidden keys to social change.

In Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, author and activist Betty Kilby is compelled to tell the story of how violence and racism during the civil rights era affected her life. Kilby was 13 years old when she and 21 other students became plaintiffs in a 1958 court case to desegregate public schools in Warren County. The state of Virginia closed the schools under the state's Massive Resistance laws rather than allow Kilby, her brothers, and black peers access.

Kilby and her family were shot at in their home, and their cattle were poisoned. When the schools desegregated and students returned, Kilby was raped in the auditorium.

It took Kilby more than 40 years to write about her experiences in her 2002 autobiography titled Wit, Will, and Walls. Her story allows one to realize an untold human side of this complex struggle. Children were targeted by the state and suffered deeply. Families were ostracized from their community while many stood by and said nothing. Kilby, depressed and self-destructive, went on to battle racism and misogyny throughout her lifetime.

For me, Kilby's story explains clearly how and why racial tensions rise to the surface today. We are just beginning to deal with the fallout. It hasn't been that long.

REMARKABLY, Betty Kilby's story is not all about trauma. She freed herself from much of the rage of racism. In large part that happened with the awareness that people of all races and classes were relating to her story.

A few years ago at a speaking event, a white man about Kilby's age approached her and said, with obvious emotion, "I just wanted to make sure you were all right." Then he walked away. Kilby said to me, in tears, that she wondered if he was one of the boys involved in the rape. Whether he was or not doesn't change the power of that moment. Kilby's heart is open to the possibility that someone who harmed her violently could have remorse. And a white man in rural Virginia was profoundly affected by Kilby's story.

Betty Kilby understands inherently what conflict resolution experts are eager to tell us: Our stories heal and humanize. They help us find meaning in a conflict and have a unique potential to redirect the past and open options for the future. We don't need to wait for the media to come back from their frenetic jag. Through our stories we have the tools to begin the process of defining where we are on race . . . and where we are able to go.

Paulette Moore is a filmmaker, director, and producer of special projects for Shenandoah University Television in Winchester, and is pursuing a master's degree in conflict transformation at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg. Contact her at (703) 597-7766 or pmoore2@su.edu.

Ray Reprise

More about pioneering tv producer and pal Ray Farkas who we lost to colon cancer a few weeks back. He had an eclectic and influential career, first for NBC's Huntley Brinkley Report and later making documentaries.

NPR's Alex Chadwick made a beautiful tribute to Ray:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17929512

And here's a link to the Alex/Ray co-production Interviews 50 Cents:

http://www.musarium.com/interviews50cents/intro_fm.html

Bye, Bye Ray!

My friend and inspiration documentary director and producer Ray Farkas has died and I will miss him. His was a brave and original voice - so much so that the just mention of his name could send certain Discovery execs into fits of rage! He and his movies made me laugh or cry or both at the same time. Thank you, Ray, for teaching us about t.v. and humanity and making us understand that "It's not t.v., it's brain surgery!!"

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/07/AR2008010703192_2.html

Rumor's of TV's Demise: Greatly Exaggerated

I must say I've put off exploring the news that This American Life - the stunningly good radio show hosted by the sublime Ira Glass - had made a television debut on Showtime. TAF is so eclectic and so original that I felt television in all its literal-ness would kill its unique voice. Not so, it seems. TAF has partnered with Killer Films - who created Boys Don't Cry, Far From Heaven and I Shot Andy Warhol. The result? A whole new being that couples the radio show's famous dramatic narrative with beautiful, cinematic images that seem to take TAF to a whole new level.

This is very good news.

Here is the website:

http://www.thislife.org/About_TV.aspx

Save the Date - Wit, Will and Walls at American University

Save the date for the Washington, DC premiere of Wit, Will and Walls; the Betty Kilby Fisher Story. American University's Center for Social Media (my VERY favorite film advocacy organization)is hosting the film as part of their MLK celebration. Betty and I will be there to present. Mark your calendars and come on over!!!

When: Wednesday, January 23 at 6PM
Where: Wechler Theater, 3rd Floor, Mary Graydon Center, American University Campus

http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/events/2008mlk/867

Sunday Quotable - On Boldness

A fellow peacebuilder reminded me of this quote today.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it."

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Peacebuilding This Week/Fridays at 11

This week on Fridays at 11, Shenandoah University's student news roundtable show - participants talk about the fallout from the Jena 6 situation in Louisiana, where for the past year tensions have escalated over racial clashes. Watch 6 minutes now on YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgLcXJ9vnPc

Another YouTube story explaining the Jena situation... very good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuoiZnr4jLY

And an interesting analysis by Peter Applebome in the NYTimes Our Towns column from last week about the significance of the appearance of nooses in Jena, at Columbia University and at a New York post office. Is the appearance of the noose a racial crisis? Or just a rope in the hands of fools?

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4D61338F937A25753C1A9619C8B63

Media Buildings - New Concepts Communicate

Nice article in the NYTimes today about 3 new buildings, dedicated to media, breaking new ground on interacting with the public... WGBH in Brighton, MA, the Newseum in Washington, DC and the Newhouse School of Public Communication at Syracuse University. Love it.

On WGBH:

The building’s facade is itself a media element: a digital skin that will project varying LED images every day. (The city prohibits any text display there because of broader concerns about commercialization.) On a gray morning, for example, the electronic mural could display fluffy white clouds in a deep blue sky.

The notion is to have the building consistently engaging with the public. “Hopefully people will think, ‘What is WGBH going to throw at me today?’ ” Mr. Olcott said.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/arts/design/19pols.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1190194695-pkVG8DJHPUPpFuWMMjzRpQ

EMU Quotable - Amen, Sister

"Things grow here."

-Amy Potter, Program Assistant, Practice Institute at Eastern Mennonite University reflecting on the wonder of life and work in the Shenandoah Valley

http://www.emu.edu/personnel/people/show/pottera

Center for Justice and Peacebuilding Students

Here's a link from Eastern Mennonite University with bios of my fellow Center for Justice and Peacebuilding graduate students. Gosh, they're a pretty amazing bunch:

https://www.emu.edu/ctp/new-students

The Point - The Photojournalist

On this edition of The Point for SUTV, I interview Pulitzer Prize-nominated photojournalist Bernie Boston and his wife Peggy about being witness to the civil rights era, decades at the White House, scores of front page news stories... and their new phase of life in the Shenandoah Valley.

Watch 7 minutes now on YouTube:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=oaNzF6OeHOQ

Peacebuilding This Week - 9/11, Another Lens

On the 6th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington DC, EMU Conflict Transformation Masters Program student and Fulbright Scholar Boniface Cheembe from Zambia said he was receiving calls from overseas asking how people in this country were observing the day. He told them he couldn't speak for the rest of the country, but he felt right to be in a class called Conflict Analysis examining the root causes of the struggle between the U.S. and Al Qaeda.

Fellow CJP student Michele Edwards forwarded this thought provoking link - about a few cautious voices beginning to suggest the unthinkable... that maybe it is time to consider talking to Al Qaeda. See what you think...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070913/ts_nm/alqaeda_dialogue_dc

Sunday Quotable

"Nothing is so harmful to inventing as a critical sense waiting to pounce on the drawbacks of any new idea. Judgement hinders imagination. "

-Roger Fisher, Warren Ury
"Getting to Yes"
Harvard Negotiation Project