In 2019, after more than a decade writing for academics, I wanted to step out into the public square and make a difference with my research. So, I decided to produce a very “low-budget” documentary. It is not a documentary you will find on a streaming channel. I didn’t have funding for a project like that. But I didn’t let that stop me from producing one. God led me to do this because there is room in social justice work for projects, large and small. I wanted to find a way to connect with people about an important historical moment in America, the commemoration of the first Africans landing in Jamestown. I also wanted to document conversations I have been a part of and use them as a learning tool outside the classroom and traditional academic meetings.
With the Ku Klux Klan parading our streets, hate groups on the rise, the mean, rude, and vicious nature of public discourse today, and millions of people mired in poverty, it is apparent that the three institutions responsible for forming citizens—families, churches, and schools—have failed in one way or another. On a daily basis, we are at each other’s throats.
Our institutions have failed to form a citizenry that holds the past in a healthy tension with the present and develop ways to build a society where all, not some, can thrive. One way theological educators have failed is by restricting our teaching and research to the academy. I noticed that few professors around me were active in the public square. This was one reason I decided to produce a documentary. I wanted to do something besides teach classes and write books for academics. Slavery in Black and White is an educational documentary that provided a local look at the legacy of slavery and examined how leaders in the city of Louisville sought to address the effects of this painful history.
This documentary was a small part of a larger initiative among Baptists to address the history of slavery and make a national call for reparations. The initiative is called The Angela Project. The Angela Project was an initiative between Simmons College of Kentucky and three national bodies: National Baptist Convention of America International (NBCA), Progressive National Baptist Convention, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (white Baptists). These conventions represent over 4 million people. These national bodies agreed to meet every year 2017-2019 to discuss the painful legacy of slavery and to work to create lasting changes needed in America. One of the guiding of The Angela Project was “since the church taught the country how to divide over slavery, the church must teach the country how to unite over justice.” It was a compelling initiative and vision during polarizing times.
I produced this educational documentary for three reasons. First, Christian educational institutions have a responsibility not only to educate students on our campuses but also to be active members of learning that is happening outside our classrooms and campuses. We have to take our service to the public square more seriously. One way to do this is by partnering with local and national leaders and educators in other institutions and initiatives or projects provide one avenue for our schools and its professors to educate (sometimes re-educating). Second, I wanted to use media as a tool to model and advance religious and theological studies and Christian ministry. In essence, I wanted to bring the classroom and church house to those who may not attend churches and or schools. Third, I hope that what is documented here can be implemented in cities and towns across the country. It is easy to cower in the giant shadows of a 400-year history mostly characterized by legalized forms of oppression. I wanted viewers to meet thinkers and leaders who have found specific and practical ways to repair the damage done. If one community models what is happening in Louisville, then this documentary is a success.
Five years later, the documentary is still relevant. I have included a link to one of my favorite segments of the documentary and a study guide that grounds this work in scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ (see link to flip book below). I hope some of you will contact me about arranging a viewing at your college or church. More importantly, whether you are an educator or a minister, I hope you will find ways to educate and mentor people that take our history seriously and use theological reflection on our neighbor’s “history” as a resource for personal, educational, and religious formation.