New Trier healing racism group screens documentary at Bahai House of Worship

Long Shadow at Baha'i House of Worship

by Kathy Routliffe 
Contact Reporter
Pioneer Press

October 1, 2018, 11:25 AM

An African-American mother told a New Trier group that helped sponsor a movie on racism that she wasn’t prepared for that much history in the documentary “The Long Shadow.”

Tynesha Jointer of Chicago said the film, which explores how slavery became integral to U.S. history and development and how racism still underpins the nation, hit home.

“I don’t get to forget I’m black,” she said.

The movie was screened by the student group Healing Everyday Racism in Our Schools, or HEROS, formed at New Trier after racist graffiti was discovered on both campuses.

The first conversation took place Thursday, when the 2017 documentary co-produced by journalist Frances Causey and film producer Sallly Holst, was shown at the Bahai House of Worship’s Welcome Center in Wilmette.

Alan Hatchett said the screening is the group’s first activity since it delivered a set of recommendations to New Trier officials in June on how to respond to campus racism. He and Baha’i House of Worship representative Van Gilmer said the organization cooperated with the Baha’i community to bring the film to Wilmette with the help of Atlanta-based Be A Corporate Kid, Support A Corporate Kid, an international social enterprise organization.

“We took this action with the idea of encouraging discussions on racism, and creating a space to do that,” Hatchett said.

The New Trier group was founded after officials discovered racist graffiti in bathroom stalls at the Northfield and Winnetka high school campuses last fall and this March. Since then, school and group officials have met twice, Hatchett said.

 

Long Shadow at Baha'i House of Worship