THREE MAGNIFICENT DOCUMENTARIES

 

THREE MAGNIFICENT DOCUMENTARIES:

A Binding Truth – Jimmie transferred his senior year to an affluent Charlotte high school in 1965 - he was their first Black football star. That decision swept him into one of North Carolina's most volatile civil rights cases, played out at the explosive intersection of football and race. De watched that case unfold and wrote about it in his college essay application. Decades later, a shocking discovery reveals secrets buried in church records that would change their lives. Their story, rooted in the South, is also America’s story – one of slavery’s legacy and our current racial divide. It’s a story of healing and shows a way forward as Jimmie and De explore their binding truth. (https://www.hdkirkpatrickphd.com/)

Israelism -Two young American Jews – Simone Zimmerman and Eitan - are raised to defend the state of Israel at all costs. Eitan joins the Israeli military. Simone supports Israel on ‘the other battlefield:’ America’s college campuses. When they witness Israel's mistreatment of the Palestinian people with their own eyes, they are horrified and heartbroken

Plan C - Shot over the past four years by award-winning filmmaker Tracy Droz Tragos, PLAN C is a documentary capturing the work of the Plan C campaign and the work of activists and providers who began to mail abortion pills, during the pandemic and in the face of crumbling reproductive rights & access across the US.

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These are three “must see” documentary films related to: Slavery-Racism + Palestine/Israel + Reproductive Justice (including Abortion).  They tie in to three critical, inter-related issues we face in the United States and beyond.  All three address – issues that have confronted us for a long time.   Slavery-Racism  - 600+ years + Palestine/Israel – 100+ years and Reproductive Justice (Abortion) – at least multiple hundreds of years – tied to slavery.

With Racism – we hear a dialog – often monologue – that tells us falsely that Slavery ended in 1865 and the Civil Rights Laws of 1960’s – created the path to equality – and Black People need to “raise themselves up” (sic) – to achieve equality.   We, white people, aren’t responsible – we’ve done what we can.

With Palestine and Israel – we falsely hear that – Israel is justly a “Jewish State” – where a People – who were not safe, as was demonstrated clearly by the Holocaust, are entitled to be in what was an “empty land” – and those “Arabs” have many other countries they can live in, while Jews have only Israel.

Fear and Trauma – and our healing our ancestral and lasting wounds is necessary for all three of these Huge Causes

“The first step to do that is for whites of all ages to learn an honest history of this country’s systemic racism and the Black movements against it—something many whites today are not even willing to begin doing.” …

King argued that if racism is ever to be eradicated, white people “must begin to walk in the pathways of [their] black brothers and feel some of the pain and hurt that throb without letup in their daily lives.'”   (directly above is Not from the film)

 https://today.tamu.edu/2022/01/15/what-martin-luther-king-jr-said-about-systemic-racism/

A Binding Truth – personalizes – our work – as white (and Black) People healing the wounds of the past.   For us, the white people, actively choosing to work to end racism is most important.   Doing the work can be meaningful and positive!

Israelism- speaks of how we, the Jews, can grow out of the dominant narrative of the False: Binary of – Dangerous and Horrible Arabs (Palestinians) vs. innocent, heroic Jews.   The never-ending equating of Anti-Zionism with Anti-Semitism is shown as both false and Dangerous.  

Anti-Semitism is growing and becoming more and more of a threat.   The unwavering support of Israel builds alliances with Nazi’s and others who are truly Anti-Semitic.   Israel is an Apartheid State.  This is strongly documented in this excellent film, along with exposing the hypocrisies of the Zionist leaders in the U.S.

It is particularly relevant – today – as a horrific War – is expanding within Israel/Palestine!    Israelis will NEVER feel safe – as long as a just peace is avoided through continued denial and horrific oppression.   U.S. complicity in this is clear today.  Dissenting voices are silenced and denied.  A Just Peace is the only viable answer!

Plan C- personalizes the importance of we, those who support the bodily autonomy of women, trans-people, and others --  digging deeply into the work of so many heroic women and girls.   Loretta Ross – speaks clearly and beautifully of the tie-ins between Racism and Sexism.   The “Stars” of the Plan C Organization – are clearly shown as compassionate committed women, who will not be silenced.   My review from the first time I saw this film is at:

https://www.georgemarx.org/2023/07/table-of-contents-plus-07172023.html

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I am a 72 year old, “retired” white, Jewish, cis man, partnered with a 60 year old still-working, Black, Jewish, Queer identified woman.   A Binding Truth was heavily triggering for my partner, as slavery and racism are much more deeply personal for her than they can ever be for me.   Plan C – was deeply triggering for her – as it showed how horribly deeply Women, Girls and Trans People are viewed and wounded (and even killed) by those I will charitably entitle: “The Right to Death” Movement.   Israelism was triggering, a little less perhaps, but particularly upsetting as we heard of the Terrorism of the Israeli forces, the tragic deaths of so many people, and so much more.

Reproductive Justice: I am a clinic escort in Concord and San Francisco, California, and was an escort in Chicago before we moved a year ago.  I pushed for, co-founded, and co-facilitate MERJ – Men for Equity and Reproductive Justice (www.JoinMERJ.org), and am a part of the Bay Area Reproductive Justice Coalition.

Racism: I’m hoping that January 8, 2024 – a few of us will have our first white cohort gathering on Zoom – building our personal and political journeys as white people – working to support the work Black and other BIPOC People are doing to end structural racism – which will help ALL of us – BIPOC and white!  We probably will view A Binding Truth at an early cohort meeting and hopefully have: DE and Jimmie Lee join us on Zoom subsequently to share together.

I also try to squeeze in work – for Palestinian Justice – including leafletting at Sproul Plaza in Berkeley with Women in Black.

I particularly am trying to expand the visibility of an Incredible, Caring Palestinian-Israeli Woman – Fida Jiryis –

https://www.georgemarx.org/2023/03/stranger-in-my-own-land-fida-jiryis.html - who has written and incredible personal memoir:

Stranger in My Own Land.   While I don’t represent her, I try to help her – be interviewed more on Zoom and be more visible – such as seeking visibility at the Howard Zinn Book Fair in San Francisco on December 3, 2023.

We each have our own journey and our own path!   I hope to hear from some of you as allies and collaborators.  I learn a lot from listening to you sharing your stories and wisdom with me!  

I would love it if several of you would join me as a white cohort member starting January 8, 2024.  I hope at least one of you (men or male presenting) will join in our work together in MERJ!  

It is challenging!   It also is rewarding and Most Meaningful!