Pinterest Pick Thursdays

Reverend Mark Morrison-Reed is coming to speak with the Cincinnati UU community this coming Friday, October 3.  Rev. Morrison-Reed - minister, historian, author - will be making the stop as part of his book tour promoting his latest work The Selma Awakening, which analyzes the shift in Unitarian Universalist race relations in 1965 Selma, Alabama.

This picture shows the front cover of
The Selma Awakening, by Rev. Mark
Morrison-Reed.

Parents who wish to attend the book discussion, are welcome to leave their children with Faith Maynard, who will be offering children's programming to compliment the book discussion.

I would urge all families who can make the book discussion, to attend, as Rev. Morrison-Reed is a truly inspired historian and speaker.  Can't make it to the lecture?  Well, then, don't worry about missing out, this Pinterest Pick Thursday is for you...

Pinterest Pick of the Week

Multicultural Movie Night

Faith Formation Component

Content

Time for Activity

2 - 3 hours

Recommended Age

9 and up

Materials

A Library Card, A T.V. and D.V.D. player

Activities

A great way to introduce children to the concept of racism and civil rights is through story.  Mildred Taylor, author of Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry has written some great picture books about race relations in the mid 20th century.  The short list below, compiled and summarized by Tim Kraus, is a great starting point for discussion:

• The Gold Cadillac--About an Ohio Family that drives down to Mississippi to visit family after living in the North. The father is an auto worker on vacation. They drive a new Gold Cadillac and the Mississippi Police assume the father stole the car because no black family could own anything so nice. He is put in jail and beaten.
• The Bridge--About racial segregation on buses. A group of black bus riders are forced off of a bus in Mississippi so a few whites can get on. The bus has an accident crossing a bridge and are rescued by the black riders who were kicked off the bus.
• The Friendship--A more complicated story about a friendship between a black man and a white man. The white is seen by his white peers relating to the black man in a too casual of a way and the black man calls the white man by his first name. This forces the white man to shoot the black man in the leg in order to maintain his position in white society. A very gripping story of race and friendship and the burden that racism places on all people.

Before reading any of these books, activate your child's pre-knowledge by asking him a few of the questions below:

• What does it mean to you when I say the words 'Civil Rights'?
• What does racism look like?
• Tell me what you know about the civil rights movement.

Continue discussing the topic as you read one, or several of the books mentioned above.  Here are some questions to help you along:

• How do you think the main character feels?
• What do you think will happen next?
• What would you do differently?
• What are you able to do because of your color that the character can't do?
• What would you do if you saw this happening?

Finally, extend the conversation to Selma, 1965 with Selma, Lord, Selma (TV-PG).  The Disney Movie website summarizes...

In 1965, during the turbulent early days of the right-to-vote movement, a young Alabama school girl is inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to resist the degradation that her fellow African Americans are suffering. Along with a white seminary student from the north, and against the threat of racial violence, she promises to do what she can to help Dr. King's efforts.

A short clip of the film can be found below, and full length versions can be obtained on Netflix DVD and through your local library.

And, don't forget, you can pick up a copy of The Selma Awakening through the UUA bookstore and learn more about Unitarian Universalist's role in the early days of the Civil Rights movement.

Original Sources: All original sources sighted above.

Wishing you well,

- Ms. Meredith