VCC Magazine Fall 2019

Education Beyond the Classroom: My First Documentary By Lewis Brogdon

After more than a decade writing scholarship for academic insiders, I wanted to step out into the public sphere and make a difference with my research so I decided to produce a documentary. I wanted to find a way to connect with people with a background in religious and theological studies and engage them in a conversation about an important historical moment in America, the commemoration of the first Africans landing in Jamestown. I also wanted to document the conversation and use it as a

of America International (NBCA), Progressive National Baptist Convention, and the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (white Baptists). These conventions represent over 4 million people. These national bodies covenanted to meet every year 2017-2019 to discuss the painful legacy of slavery and to work to create lasting changes needed in America. One of the guiding of The Angela Project is “since the church taught the country how to divide over slavery, the church must teach the country how to unite over justice.” It is a compelling initiative and vision during polarizing times. I produced this educational documentary for three reasons. First, colleges have a responsibility not only to educate students on our campuses but also to be active members of learning that is happening outside our classrooms and campuses. We have to take our service to the public square more seriously. One way to do this is by partnering with local and national leaders and educators in other institutions and initiatives or projects provide one avenue for colleges and its professors to educate (sometimes reeducating). Second, I wanted to use media as a tool to model and advance religious and theological studies and

learning tool outside the classroom and traditional academic meetings. With the Ku Klux Klan parading our streets, hate groups on the rise, the mean, rude, and vicious nature of public discourse today, and millions of people mired in poverty, it is apparent that the three institutions responsible for forming citizens—families, churches, and schools—have failed in one way or another. On a daily basis, we are at each other’s throats. Our institutions have failed to form

Christian ministry. In essence, I wanted to bring the classroom and church house to those who may not set a foot in a church. Third, I hope that what is documented here can be implemented in cities and towns across the country. It is easy to cower in the giant shadows of a 400-year history mostly characterized by legalized forms of oppression. I want viewers to meet thinkers and leaders who have found specific and practical ways to repair the damage done. If one community models what is happening in Louisville, then this documentary is a success. I hope some of you will contact me about arranging a viewing at your college or church. More importantly, whether you are an educator or a minister, I hope you will find ways to educate and mentor people that take our history seriously and view it as a resource for personal, educational, and religious formation. Dr. Lewis Brogdon is Dean of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at Bluefield College. To arrange a viewing please email lbrogdon@bluefield.edu.

a citizenry that holds the past in a healthy tension with the present and develop ways to build a society where all, not some, can thrive. One way college professors have failed is by restricting our teaching and research to the academy. I noticed that few college professors around me were active in the public square. This is one reason I decided to produce a documentary. I wanted to do something besides teach classes and write books for academics. Slavery in Black and White is an educational documentary that provides a local look at the legacy of slavery and examines how leaders in the city of Louisville seek to address the effects of this painful history. This documentary is a small part of a larger initiative among Baptists to address the history of slavery and make a national call for reparations. The initiative is called The Angela Project. The Angela Project is an initiative between Simmons College of Kentucky and three national bodies: National Baptist Convention

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battles over the 8th District, which includes part of Virginia Beach City; the 10th District, which includes parts of Richmond City as well as Chesterfield and Powhatan counties; the 17th District, which stretches from Fredericksburg City to Ablemarle County; and the 18th District, which includes parts of Henrico and Hanover counties. House candidates have been no slouches either when it comes to fundraising so far. Several House districts that have new court-ordered changes to their boundaries are particularly flush with cash. House Speaker Kirk Cox, who is running for re-election in one of those redrawn districts, raised more than $1.1 million, while Democratic challenger Sheila Bynum-Coleman raised about $470,000 so far. Candidates have raised a total of more than $1 million in the Republican-held 40th House district, which contains parts of Fairfax and Prince William counties, and over $900,000 in the Republican- held 28th District, which includes parts of Stafford County and Fredericksburg City. Republicans won both seats with margins of less than 110 votes two years ago. Campaign Finance from page 11

Candidates in the 94th district in Newport News, where the Republican won the tied 2017 election by a random draw, also raised a total of more than $900,000 so far. While Virginia midterm elections tend to be relatively quiet affairs in most years, 2019 is shaping up to be quite the exception. When the stakes are high, as they are inVirginia in 2019, the campaign donations skyrocket. As the money piles up, and even more will land in candidate campaign coffers this fall, voters can expect more politics that usual: in their mailboxes, on social media, on television and even at their front door. Stephen J. Farnsworth is professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington, where he directs the Center for Leadership and Media Studies. He is the author or co-author of six books, most recently Presidential Communication and Character: White House News Management from Clinton and Cable to Twitter and Trump (Routledge, 2018).

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V irginia C apitol C onnections , F all 2019

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