40 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JANUARY 26-FEBRUARY 1, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com CULTURE A hush falls over the theater as the credits roll on the 2013 drama 12 Years a Slave. The film is based on the true story of Solomon Northrup, a free Black man who, in 1841, was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the American South. There he endures absolutely brutal treatment at the hands of plantation owners. “Kind of sobering, isn’t it,” says Dirrick Williams, as the lights come up. This is an understatement. A small group gathered on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 18 at Lighthouse Cinemas in Pacific Grove to watch the first of a free, year-long movie night series that will examine the issues of race and racism from various vantage points. During February, in honor of Black History Month, there will be a weekly screening each Wednesday. The series is an initiative of Williams’ nonprofit, the Black Leaders and Allies Collaborative (BLAAC), which started about two-and-a-half years ago with the goal of advancing racial equity through dialog. BLAAC’s flagship initiative is a 14-week “race relations bootcamp” called EuroCentric Cultural Reflectionism. Williams began teaching the course a year ago, and so far around 70 people have taken part. The movie nights are a spinoff, another way to engage a broader group of people. To that end, the movie nights are not just about watching a film—after the final scene, trained minister and community organizer Williams facilitates a short conversation during which audience members share something from the movie that stood out to them, angered them or made them think. “That conversation you have in the car on the way home—[let’s] have that conversation in the theater for 10-15 minutes,” Williams says. The conversation after 12 Years a Slave in January got off to a slow start, but after a few minutes (Williams did keep his word to keep it short), it seemed everyone in the theater was bursting to share what had impacted them most. One woman reflected on how the reality of the natural environment—depicted by the film in eerie swamp scenes—made escape from enslavement next to impossible. A man wondered which of the characters he would be—it’s comforting to see oneself in the forward-thinking abolitionist from Canada, he added, but that’s not the philosophical reality most white characters in the movie are a part of. After each comment, Williams offered a short reflection on, or validation of, what the person said. To Williams, the movies are a way to keep people aware and engaged, even at times when issues of racial violence—or the protest movements that follow—are not dominating local and national headlines. The conversations are an opportunity to practice talking about racism and its impacts. “It’s an entre to be able to say, ‘I’m not scared to talk about it anymore,’” Williams says. The Wednesday, Feb. 1 screening will be of The FBI’s War on Black America, a 1990 documentary about the organizers targeted by the government’s counterintelligence program in the 1960s and ’70s. Longtime Seaside resident Mel Mason, who was part of the Black Panther Party, will be in attendance to talk about the realities of that time and answer questions. Also on the lineup for future screenings is Crips and Bloods: Made in America, a 2008 film about the conditions that led to the formation of these two prominent gangs. In addition to the movie nights, BLAAC plans to start a series of monthly “community conversations” in partnership with the Juneteenth Coalition. “Where I see a void, I try to just step in and make a difference,” Williams says. Black History Month movie nights begin at 6pm every Wednesday in February, then once a month thereafter. Lighthouse Cinemas, 525 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove. Free. For more information, call 337-8995 or visit blaac.org. Wide Awake Black History Month movie nights aim to create real reflection and conversation about race in America. By Tajha Chappellet-Lanier Dirrick Williams formed the Black Leaders and Allies Collaborative (BLAAC) to advance anti-racist efforts and cooperation that gained national attention in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. DANIEL DREIFUSS “When I see a void, I try to step in and make a difference.” TIP OF THE WEEK! An Advance Health Care Directive (AHCD) guides your loved ones to make medical decisions on your behalf. Be prepared - Give us a call! 831.899.0492 Kellie D. Morgantini Interim Executive Director Legal Services for Seniors is a 501(c)(3) organization.
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