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Diversity Resources

Meredith’s Office of Commuter Life and Diversity Programs has compiled the following list of films, publications and other resources on topics related to diversity.

Resources in Office of Commuter Life and Diversity Programs

Films

“America’s Civil Rights Movement”
The story of the struggle to end official apartheid in the U.S. is told through the Academy Award-winning film, “A Time for Justice,” and accompanying resources. From tolerance.org.

“Chisolm ‘72”
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm becomes the first black woman elected to Congress. In 1972, she becomes the first black woman to run for president. Shunned by the political establishment, she’s supported by a motley crew of blacks, feminists, and young voters. Their campaign-trail adventures are frenzied, fierce, and fundamentally right on! From PBS.

“Journey to A Hate-Free Millennium”
The multiple award-winning documentary that seeks solutions to ending hate and the terrible hate crimes that have become frequent events in our daily lives.

“Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks”
This Academy Award-nominated documentary film and accompanying resources bring the Montgomery Bus Boycott alive for today’s students. From tolerance.org

“A Place at the Table”
Narrated entirely by young people, this historical documentary tells the story of the United States’ struggle to ensure liberty and justice for all. A book component and lesson plans are also included. From tolerance.org

“The Shadow of Hate”
Episodes of intolerance throughout U.S. history — from the plights of Quakers in colonial New England to the 1991 riots in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y. — are examined using video, text, and classroom activities. From tolerance.org.

Books

Magazines and Other Literature

In addition, the following diversity resources are available. Many can be found in Meredith’s Carlyle Campbell Library.

General Diversity

General Resources On The Web

Books
*denotes availability in Meredith Library

Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“The Angry Eye”
A dynamic and provocative documentary film, showcasing Jane Elliott’s world famous Blue-Eyed/Brown-Eyed exercise in discrimination. White young American college students from various backgrounds are forced to experience the same kind of racist treatment African Americans and other minorities have been receiving for years.

“Baraka”
A world wide odyssey to capture the images which would tell the story of the earth’s evolution and of human diversity, interconnectedness and impact on the surrounding world.

“Blue Eyed”
In order to explore gender and racial bias in modern American society, Jane Elliott, a behavioral psychologist, arbitrarily segregates blue-eyed from brown-eyed persons, raising the expectations of one group, downgrading the other. Individual analysis outlines the problems faced by group members within the workshop and their real-life experiences.

“Confederacy Theory”
Confederacy theory presents an unflinching portrait of the cultural war that has erupted around the confederate flag. Using never-before-seen archival footage and exclusive interviews with politicians, pundits, activists, and scholars, Confederacy theory traces the history of this symbol and its impact on Southern culture, history, and identity -- from the Civil War to the front lines of a modern-day secession movement.

“The Confessions of Rosalee”
Reporting on the interrelationships of poverty, racism, crime, illiteracy, and drug use, reporter Leon Dash spent four years getting to know Rosalee Cunningham, a thief, former prostitute and drug addict, and the mother of eight children.

“Discharging the Patterns of White Racism”
Demonstrations from four related workshops, on discharging white racism, are presented. Two demonstrations are on victims of white racism. One demonstration centers on the pattern and effects of carrying white racism. The last demonstrations centers on racism toward a member of a third world country.

“Ethnic Notions”
Presents examples of the way that racism is depicted in American culture

“Matters of Race”
“Explores the complex demands of the country’s rapidly changing multiracial and multicultural society and shows how American citizens imagine the new America of the 21st century”--Container.

“Minorities in the College Classroom”
“The ultimate goal of the “Minorities in the College Classroom” videotape is to help create a climate in which race harassment and discrimination do not occur. The videotape and manual have been developed to assist faculty members in enhancing the learning environment in their classrooms and while advising students. The program is geared toward helping faculty improve their human interaction skills and enhance their sensitivity to people of differing races and cultures.”

“The Mosaic Workplace”
“Using the EEOC definition of sexual harassment, this program shows various dimensions of this serious problem with various topics – Valuing diversity, beyond bias, women in the workplace, etc.

“Race, The Power of An Illusion” (VHS)
Challenges one of our most fundamental beliefs that human beings come divided into a few distinct groups. A look at why race is not biologically meaningful yet nonetheless very real.

“Secrets of the SAT”
“Frontline” examines the debate over fairness in college admissions in a program that looks at how the rise of the American meritocracy has created a national obsession with test scores and a multimillion-dollar test-prep industry. With legal challenges of affirmative action spreading across the country, Frontline investigates the impact of standardized tests on racial diversity on college campuses.

“The Shadow of Hate: A history of intolerance in America”
Examines 4 centuries of United States history in order to understand the nation’s record of intolerance. Includes documentary footage and eyewitness reports.

“Skin Deep”
A diverse group of college students reveal their honest feelings and attitudes about race and racism. Students are interviewed alone, and then discuss the issues in a group setting.

“The Story of English” (VHS Series)
Nine-part series on the development and diversity of the English language, from Old English to Okracoke, from Canterbury to Cajun.

“A Teacher’s Culture”
Designed to encourage the teacher’s reflection on personal cultural beliefs and biases in the creation of a cultural “genogram”; to provide insights into cultural experiences and preferences; and to demonstrate how the teacher’s cultural background is brought into the classroom just as is the student’s.

“The Way Home”
Over the course of eight months, 64 women come together to share their experiences of oppression through the lens of race. Separated into eight ethnic councils, Indigenous, African-American, Arab, Asian, European-American, Jewish, Latina, and Multiracial, the women explore their stories of identity, oppression, and resistance.

African - American Resources

African-American Resources on the Web

African American Books
* denotes availability in Meredith Library

Related Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“Black Is, Black Ain’t”
American culture has stereotyped black Americans for centuries. Equally devastating, the late Marlon Riggs argued, have been the definitions of “blackness” African Americans impose upon one another which contain and reduce the black experience. In this film, Riggs meets a cross-section of African Americans grappling with the paradox of numerous, often contradictory definitions of blackness.

“Family Ties”
The Hairstons, the descendants of white slave owners and black slaves, come together as a big family in the ‘90s.

“I am Woman”
In disc 1, Voices of power, African-American women have captured the moral imagination of mainstream America through their essays, novels, poetry, and other artistic endeavors, breaching the static lines of race, gender, and class. How have their reflections so clearly articulated the hopes and philosophies of so many? In this program, writers Alice Walker and Bell Hooks and Ohio State University faculty Dr. Martha Wharton and Dr. Valerie Lee examine the emergence of African-American women as popular and powerful voices of social conscience.

“The Murder of Emmett Till” (VHS)
The shameful, sadistic murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, a black boy who whistled at a white woman in a Mississippi grocery store in 1955, was a powerful catalyst for the civil rights movement. Although Till’s killers were apprehended, they were quickly acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury and proceeded to sell their story to a journalist, providing grisly details of the murder. Three months after Till’s body was recovered, the Montgomery Bus Boycott began.

“The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow”
The rise and fall of Jim Crow offers the first comprehensive look at race relations in America between the Civil War and the Civil Rights Movement. This definitive four-part series documents the context in which the laws of segregation known as the “Jim Crow” system originated and developed.

“The Tuskegee Airmen”
A history of the pilots who faced discrimination in their effort to fly combat aircraft for their country.

“Two Towns of Jasper”
In 1998 in Jasper, Texas, James Byrd, Jr., a black man, was chained to a pickup truck and dragged to his death by three white men. The town was forever altered, and the nation woke up to the horror of a modern-day lynching. The filmmakers set out to document the aftermath of the murder by following the trials of the local men charged with the crime. The result is an explicit and troubling portrait of race in America, one that asks how and why a crime like this could have occurred.

Asian American Resources

Asian American Resources on the Web

Asian American Books
* denotes availability in Meredith Library

Related Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“The Asianization of America”
Describes the increasing role of Asians in American business and in society. Examines how this trend is affecting American society.

“The Confucian Tradition”
This series presents the key elements of Confucian thought in China and traces its impact on China’s most important literary form, lyric poetry. Also included are readings from the Confucian Analects and the Book of Songs as well as presentations of the lives and works of many renowned poets.

“Faces of China”
An overview of ancient and contemporary China. This film views various aspects of this country: food production and population policy changes, ethnic diversity, industry, recreation and culture.

“Western Eyes”
Examines the search for beauty and self-acceptance through the experiences of a young Filipina and Korean woman living in Canada who both believe their appearance, specifically their eyes, affect the way they are perceived. Both feel unsettled in Western society and are contemplating cosmetic surgery on their eyes. Layering interviews with references to super models and other pop-culture icons of beauty, the filmmaker captures the pain that almost always lies behind the desire for plastic surgery.

GLBTQ Resources

GLBTQ Resources on the Web

GLBTQ Books
* denotes availability in Meredith Library

Related Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“Being Gay: Coming Out in the 21st Century”
This program presents the accounts and stories of people who have recently taken the step of coming out. Interviewees and experts discuss the benefits of this important transition by examining the six stages of coming to terms with one’s sexual identity.

“Homophobia in the Workplace”
Brian McNaught explains the losses for everyone when homophobia exists at the workplace, at school, or anywhere in society. He offers keys to overcoming ignorance in a homophobic work setting.

“Off The Straight & Narrow: lesbians, gays, bisexuals & television”
“Off the Straight & Narrow” casts a critical eye over the growth of gay images on TV. Leading media scholars provide the historical and cultural context for exploring the social implications of these new representations. “Off the Straight & Narrow” challenges viewers to consider the value and limits of available gay images: who is represented, what they get to say, and how people respond to them.

Hispanic/Latino Resources

Hispanic/Latino Resources on the Web

Hispanic/Latino Books
* denotes availability in Meredith Library

Related Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“Hispanic Americans: The New Frontier”
In this 7-part series, dozens of Hispanics-some famous, some average people-explore what it means to be Hispanic American.

“Hispanics: the changing role of women”
In this program, several prominent Latina women, including author Isabel Allende and actress Jennifer Lopez, discuss their changing role within the context of Hispanic family values, male machismo, and the traditional role of females as the center of family and community life. Also examines the issue from the male perspective.

“Nuestra comunidad : Latinos in North Carolina”
Examines the Latino population explosion in North Carolina. Several Hispanic Americans introduce themselves; tell where they are from and why they came to North Carolina. Many describe monetary hardships in their native countries as well as financial difficulties they experienced when they came to the United States, and others recount their success stories as residents of North Carolina.

Native American Resources

Native American Resources on the Web

Native American Books
* denotes availability in Meredith Library

Related Films Available in Carlyle Campbell Library

“Homeland: one reservation, four families, three years”
Four Lakota families living on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, open their hearts and homes to present a portrait of reservation life. The film focuses on their attempts to secure decent housing on the reservation with the assistance of Walking Shield, a non-profit agency that works to provide housing for indigenous Americans.

Indian by Birth: the Lumbee dialect
Through interviews, looks at the Lumbee Indians of Robeson County, N.C. and how the English they speak has developed.

Real Indian
Presents a personal look at the meaning of cultural identity. Describes the complex world of the Lumbee Indian culture and questions the viewer’s perceptions of Native Americans.

 

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