In 1994, documentary filmmaker Jerald Harkness returned to his alma mater, Indiana University, to interview Black students about their academic endeavors and personal experiences on the predominately white campus. Together, they created Facing the Facade. On June 28th, you are invited to a unique college reunion where these IU alums discuss their participation in Facing the Facade and what it means to them today.
Dr. Terri Francis, director of the Black Film Center/Archive and Facing the Facade director Jerald Harkness will moderate the conversation with several of the film’s participants as the Union Board’s Lauren Long brings in questions from the audience.
Facing the Facade (1994)
This rare documentary examines Black students’ multifaceted experiences on predominantly white college campuses and how they address feelings of alienation, frustration, and discrimination. Colleges throughout the U.S. today face alarming increases in racist incidents despite diversity initiatives and the greater presence of Black and Brown administrators and faculty. Facing the Facade presents interviews with eight Black men and women, all students at Indiana University in Bloomington. Although these students come from a wide variety of backgrounds, they all speak frankly–out of a sense of disappointment, sometimes bitterly, but often with wry humor and prescient clarity–about their shared “minority” status on campus, the persistence of racist attitudes among fellow students and even some instructors, as well as other complex issues such as racial separatism, integration, black studies programs, sexism, and even the redeployment of white-supremacist prejudices within their own community based on language, behavior, hair and dress styles. The students’ rich reflections and informed contributions provide an uncommon opportunity to learn from Black students as they narrate and analyze their own experience on their own terms; Facing the Facade is sure to inspire further discussions of college life as it is lived by various groups and individuals on a constantly changing campus.
Attendees are encouraged to watch Facing the Facade prior to the discussion. The film and registration page are available via the link provided.
This discussion is presented by IU’s Union Board and the Black Film Center/Archive.
Cost: free, advanced registration encouraged
For more information contact: