Throughout this year you will see flyers for the "Cinema and Conversation" series which uses films to spark dialogue about topics that divide the community. This series is sponsored by the university's Office of Human Relations Programs (OHRP) -- which runs the Racial Dialogue and Action Project -- and the National Conference for Community Justice (NCCJ).

The partnership between OHRP and NCCJ has three features: OHRP hosts NCCJ's "Cinema and Conversation" series here on campus; NCCJ's staff trains the university's Racial Dialogue & Action students in group facilitation and conflict meditation; and the dialogue students help facilitate NCCJ dialogues at high schools, on the College Park campus, and in the Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. area.

NCCJ is a 70 year-old organization dedicated to building communities where race, gender, sexual orientation, orientation, age, class, and religion are valued. It also facilitates dialogues on all aspects of diversity and has trained group facilitation and conflict mediation staff members.

"Cinema and Conversation" is NCCJ's year-long dialogue series incorporating documentary film and facilitated discussion about six issues that cross-cut all communities. During each session participants view a film and then participate in small group discussions about the themes in the film and how they relate to the local community.

The "Cinema and Conversation" series is one avenue Racial Dialogue & Action Project students have to practice their facilitation skills. Racial Dialogue & Action Project is part of a grant to OHRP from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, with the support of the White House Initiative on Race. All three help create campus-community dialogues that address issues of race. The project at the University of Maryland is offered as a year long course, EDPA 499A, by the Department of education policy, planning, and administration.

"The main purpose of the class is to train a group of student leaders to effectively engage and challenge other students about issues of race," says Bridget Turner, Racial Dialogue & Action Project Coordinator.

The major difference between this course and other diversity courses on campus is the partnership with NCCJ. "At the university level it is important to develop partnerships with our community and give students the opportunity to interact in 'real world' settings," says Turner.

NCCJ also feels a partnership with the University is important. "University of Maryland has a real commitment to talking about these [diversity] issues; not hiding from them, which is very important to NCCJ," says Cheryl Kravitz, NCCJ executive director.

The topic of the semester's first "Cinema and Conversation" session last month was "Violence in Our Streets." Approximately thirty people attended, which included a panel discussion about how violence penetrates people's daily lives in school and community settings.

Reactions to the first session of the semester were very positive. "The response was terrific. The students need to be applauded for the hard work they did. They really thought through the issues and all aspects of inclusion at the university level," says Kravitz.

Student participants also felt that the first session was successful. "I think that the series was a good experience," says James Ellis III, a sophomore with a double major in mass communications and information systems. "It's good to talk with people that have been through different experiences than yourself. Not only does it help develop your tolerances and emotions but it also gives someone else a perspective that they might have never seen before."

The "Cinema and Conversation" series is open to all members of the university community. The next movie "Speaking for Ourselves" on Oct. 28 focuses on gay and lesbian family life. Cathy Tuerk, volunteer chair for this event and a member of Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays (P-FLAG), will lead the discussion.

For more information, please contact Bridget Turner, Racial Dialogue & Action Project Coordinator, 405-8190 or by e-mail at bt38@umail.umd.edu.

--Jamie Feehery-Simmons