Dear friends,
The fourth Zoom in our investigations having to do with the history of racial and ethnic prejudice, discrimination and violence is set for Tuesday 10 Nov at 7:30 pm. A Zoom invitation will be sent out nearer the discussion date.
This one focuses on the hidden workings of White Supremacy movements and the threat they pose to justice, unity and peace in the United States.
Numerous documentaries and essays could be proposed on this subject. But I have selected materials that are easily accessible, but also credible, suspenseful, and probably shocking.
We should start with a pioneering two part film series produced in 2018 by ProPublica and featured on PBS – also viewable via Amazon Prime.
The series is called Documenting Hate. Part One: Charleston (54m)
Part Two: the New American Nazis (54m)
Here is the provided overview: “Since August, 2017, Frontline and ProPublica have been investigating the resurgence of violent white supremacists in America.
In Part One: Charlottesville, correspondent A.C. Thompson methodically tracks down some of those at the center of the infamous and deadly rally in Charlottesville, VA. He discovers an expanding network of white supremacist involvement in the US which is at odds with the ideology and evolution of multicultural America. The investigation covers earlier violent confrontation and reveals how ProPublica’s reporting on this story has led to multiple arrests.
The second film in this series, New American Nazis, begins in the wake of the 2018 deadly anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. It’s a new investigation into white supremacist groups in America–in particular, a neo-Nazi group, Atomwaffen Division, that has actively recruited inside the U.S. military. This investigation documents the group’s terrorist objectives, examines how civilian and military authorities have responded, and shows how the group gained strength after the 2017 Charlottesville rally.”
The films will make you wonder how widespread are these White Supremacist beliefs, plans, and actions that you observed in the film.
For an accessible overview of their emergence and spread, read How White Supremacy Returned to Mainstream Politics by Simon Clark from Center for American Progress, by July, 2020.
Clark is a nonresident senior fellow for National Security and International Policy at the Center for American Progress, where he leads the work on combating violent white supremacy. How White Supremacy Returned to Mainstream Politics Center for American Progress.
I hope that these resources are not too much given the limited time between now and the Zoom – especially given our weighty concerns surrounding the election.
At least you may be comforted to know that the subject of this Zoom is of unquestionable importance in the shaping of the future of this country and the world.
Let me know if you have any questions or interest in exploring additional resources on the subject.
Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the evening of Nov 10th.
With warmest regards,
Jim Malarkey 937-903-8908
jmalarkey@antioch.edu