Video  

A Conversation with Ava DuVernay: Resistance, Storytelling, and Film

Professor Khalil Gibran Muhammad was joined by Oscar-nominated filmmaker and screenwriter Ava DuVernay in JFK Jr. Forum

DuVernay’s latest film ‘Origin’ is a powerful adaptation of Isabel Wilkerson’s book ‘Caste’, taking a broad look at underlying systems of social hierarchies. It draws connections between race in the United States, the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany, and the system of caste in India. By translating these true stories to screen, ‘Origin’ fosters a crucial dialogue on the American understanding of race.

This event hosted by the Institutional Antiracism and Accountability Project (IARA) and the Institute of Politics, explored the relationship between film and advancing racial equity, asking: how is film an effective platform for shaping an informed and critical public narrative about race in the U.S.? And for the filmmakers attempting to do this, what barriers are standing in the way?

More on this Issue

Bootstrap Blackness: Black Men, Conservatism, and Party Politics
A man voting.

Article

Bootstrap Blackness: Black Men, Conservatism, and Party Politics

A new research article by Dr. Christine Slaughter, Research Fellow at the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation and co-authors examines the narrative of black men’s political “shift right”. The study finds Black men remain overwhelmingly Democratic, despite growing public attention to ideological divides.

 

Before the Civil Rights Act, My Great-Uncle from Roxbury Took on Pullman in 1954 — and Won
A photo collage of some members of the Greenidge family.

Commentary

Before the Civil Rights Act, My Great-Uncle from Roxbury Took on Pullman in 1954 — and Won

As we commemorate 100 years of Black History Month, it is worth remembering that progress was not driven by headlines alone. Beyond the monuments and courtrooms, everyday people took risks to demand dignity and fairness. Among them was my great uncle, whose pursuit of a promotion became a catalyst for change.