Los Angeles, California

Report on this screening taken from a SABA-SC press release.

On Sept. 23, 2008, the South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA-SC) hosted a screening of Divided We Fall in Los Angeles. Following the screening, held at Loyola Law School, a panel featuring Ahilan T. Arulanantham, Director of Immigrant Rights and National Security for the ACLU of Southern California; David Glazier, a Loyola Law School professor; Sharat Raju, the film's director and producer; and noted attorney and community organizer Nitasha Sawhney (one of the interviewees featured in DWF) led a discussion to a group of 70 attorneys and law students on civil rights issues in the wake of Sept. 11 and prevention of hate crimes against South Asians. (Below: Nitasha Sawhney speaks in the panel after the screening.)


“One of the goals of SABA-SC is to raise awareness of legal issues pertaining to the South Asian community," said Pankit Doshi, Co-President of SABA-SC. "By screening Divided We Fall, we hope to have educated the community on the issue of hate crimes and hate violence, in particular after 9/11, and how it affects our community to this day.”

Among issues raised at the SABA-SC screening, the panelists noted that, unlike other communities, the South Asian community often does not report incidents of violence or discrimination. Both Sawhney and Arulanantham stressed the importance of reporting hate crimes to authorities and community organizations that can address the issue. The audience was also encouraged to pursue opportunities to educate and assist the community to deal with discrimination and other civil rights issues.

The South Asian Bar Association of Southern California ("SABA-SC") is the oldest and largest South Asian bar association in the country. SABA-SC is dedicated to the advancement and development of South Asian attorneys and strives to promote the professional development of lawyers and law students, educate the community about relevant legal issues, and expand and enhance business and professional opportunities for South Asians.


(Above: The panel and the board of SABA-SC after the screening.)

Fargo, North Dakota

Reflection written by Kara E. Gravley-Stack, Equity & Diversity Center, North Dakota State University.

On Sept. 22, 2008 a small but diverse group of students, faculty, staff and community members gathered in the Memorial Union at North Dakota State University to screen the film Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath.

The discussion that followed provided students the opportunity to express their surprise and outrage at the accounts provided throughout the documentary. Many of the students were quite young when the attacks on 9/11 happened, so their knowledge of the events of that day, and the days immediately following, were primarily focused on the stories produced by mainstream media. They knew of the hijacked airplanes, the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, the Pennsylvania field – and they knew of the official response from the U.S. government. However, most of them were completely unaware of the prejudice and hate crimes perpetrated against people perceived to be “Muslim terrorists.”

One Muslim student shared his own experiences as a victim of hate crimes after 9/11. Another student shared her story as a Christian-born woman who recently converted to Islam and has chosen to wear a hijab. These stories, and others, probably would not have been shared in any other venue than upon watching this video. The majority of people in attendance were very moved by both the movie and the reflection session. This provided an excellent opportunity to expand our knowledge of different cultures and world religions – more events like this need to be offered!

Redlands, California

Reflection written by Leela MadhavaRau, Special Advisor to the President and Associate Dean of Campus Diversity and Inclusion, University of Redlands.

I first saw Divided We Fall at a national conference. At that time, I felt it was a film that would have an impact on the students on our campus. When I read that there was a national campaign to show the film across the country, I wanted to make sure that people in Redlands had a chance to participate.

One of the student organizations on campus, Fidelity, Isonomy and Erudition (FIE), decided to stage a re-enactment of the Balbir Singh Sodhi’s murder scene. They did this out in our central plaza, an area where the majority of the University’s population will pass during any given day. Alongside the scene, they posted information about the film screening as well as information about the retribution murders and blank sheets of paper for responses. This display was a very effective way of drawing the campus’ attention to the film screening as well as to hate crimes.


We showed the film on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008. We thought that we might have an audience of about 75 but, in the end, we had approximately 140 participants. These included students, faculty, staff and members of the local community.

I believe that one of the comments from our student community represents the reaction of those who saw the film:

“I heard a whisper of a dialogue about race and discrimination floating around campus in the week preceding the showing of your film. Immediately after the showing, I heard that whisper grew into full-fledged conversation about things students wouldn’t really talk about normally, and it was amazing. I feel like your documentary brought so much awareness to Redlands. Sometimes a realization of the most awful things can produce the most motivation to make a difference. I also really appreciated your personal and realistic touch to the film. It made it that much more impactful. Thank you.”

The day after the screening, I ran into another administrator who saw some of the students returning from the screening. He commented that they told him that they had just viewed a film that had had an incredibly profound impact on them. Faculty in various classes commented that their students talked about the new perspectives gained from watching the film as well as insight into themselves, particularly around issues of stereotyping.

I encourage campuses across the nation to use this film to begin dialogue and conversation.

>Read viewer responses from the University of Redlands screening.

Storrs, Connecticut

Reflection written by Maninder Kaur, president, Sikh Student Association, University of Connecticut.

Our expected attendance was about 200 people and we ended up filling the auditorium to 250+ people! We were delighted with the number and diversity of the attendees.

For our panel discussion after the film, we had invited Angela Rola, the Director of the Asian American Cultural Center and the Chairperson for the Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut, Dr. Saud Anwar, also the Co-chair for the Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut and a great leader and activist within the Pakistani community and William Howe, Secretary of the Asian Pacific American Coalition of Connecticut as well as an Education Consultant for the Connecticut State Dept of Education. With these three great leaders, we addressed many questions that the audience had. 

With about 35 people in the discussion, we began the discussion with Dr. Anwar's slideshow on the basics of hate crimes, how to report it and why. Some topics that were brought up included what things can we do to make a difference even if we are not human rights majors, issues around the violence and bias attacks of Timothy McVeigh, the backlash of the Virginia Tech shootings, the Japanese American Internment. There was also a great topic that was brought up which was if there has been any change in the educational system or curriculum after September 11th. 

Overall, our screening of Divided We Fall was a great success! We received great feedback from the attendees and had an overwhelming response afterwards when everyone read our article (front page of 2nd section) in our school newspaper the following day.

San Diego, California

Reflection written by Emily M. N. Kugler, Ph.D.


The audience ranged from families to San Diego State University students to other members of the San Diego community. Most of the discussion centered on memories of the days following 9/11. For one young college student, the film surprised her: she remembered the attacks, but did not realize how quickly people picked out targets. Her feelings at the time were of fear and confusion, of not knowing and not immediately thinking of who to blame. That others immediately started targeting anyone they thought looked Muslim shocked her.

Others were aware of how quickly the racist backlash had begun. A Sikh-American college student recalled that he had been in high school at the time. Before 9/11, the students in one of his classes had shared their backgrounds, and he had told them about being born in India and his Sikh faith. He felt he had educated them, yet when the towers fell, he was targeted by anti-Muslim slurs.

A Sikh teen shared how a group of boys had harassed him as he started high school, but the vice principal had shown them this film and the situation became better. He wondered, however, what more he could do: his school has over 3,000 people, and the thought of educating all of them seems like an overwhelming task.

Another viewer remembered being in graduate school at the time; sitting in his international relations class (a subject that seemed less abstract that the day before). His best friend, who was Indian, turned to him, saying how different it would be, that now he wouldn’t be able to go out alone. Since then, this viewer had married a non-white woman, and this combined with the experience of his friend's after 9/11 changed how he viewed his life: he realized that like his friend and many of the other people who had shared their stories, his children might face prejudices that he never had to experience.

A Japanese-American woman also discussed her worries about her children: avoiding racial discrimination had been one of the reasons she had moved her family from the East Coast to a more tolerant area. She also shared her feelings that we are, in many ways, living in a reenactment of the Internment and discussed her efforts to get her community to stand up for the new groups being targeted.

Not every story was one of having experienced or fearing the continuation of racial hatred. The mother of the young man whose antagonizers had reformed after seeing this film shared a story of hope to counter everyone’s less-pleasant memories. After 9/11, she feared for her children’s safety, but instead of hatred, she saw people come together: her neighbors made a point to come to her and tell her that they would help watch over her children and her home.

Some viewers left as soon as the film ended; not all wanted to share a story; but everyone listened. That is what this film does. You listen to the stories of those in the film and it makes you more open to the story of the stranger sitting next to you.

Paxton, Massachusetts

Reflection written by Stephanie Williams, Director of Multicultural Affairs, Anna Maria College.

Attendance: There were approx. 30 people that attended the film screening at Anna Maria College on Monday, Sept. 15 at Anna Maria College at 5:30 p.m. The two moderators present were: Navjeet Singh and Dr. Paul Russell.

Sept. 11 birthed a new stage in American history and this documentary is an examination of the larger issues surrounding the hate crimes that occurred after Sept. 11th. We knew life in America would never be the same after the terrorist attacks, but no one knew exactly how it would change.

Although America has always been a divided country, people who are privileged enough not to have to accept or even acknowledge their privilege have pushed America even further into a sense of isolation. People who look different from the “typical American” or what society views as the “typical American” felt as though they had no right in the nation’s united sorrow because there is a disconnection in the "we" in "United We Stand."

The relatively benign images projected on television did not capture the enormity of the human suffering and or the “American” suffering. I truly believe that there is a desire across America for change, not necessarily from control by one political party to another, but a change from living with lies to living with the “American” truth.

I feel as though this film is a perfect example of a quote by Zora Neale Hurston: “I will fight for my country, but I will not lie for her.” Who really knows the true America? If people are so caught up in their own ideologies and beliefs and if they are so blind to their privilege they will never understand or even grasp who/what America truly is or what America actually stands for.

South Pasadena, California

Reflection written by Chris Becker, screening host.

Our screening was held in the community room of our local public library on a Sunday night from 7 p.m. until about 10 p.m. About 300 invitations were sent out via email and word of mouth and 26 people attended. The age of the audience ranged from young adults in their early 20’s to folks in their 50’s. Most of the attendees were South Pasadena residents and friends with a few work colleagues.

The room was opened for guests at about 6:30 p.m. and we served refreshments. The room was arranged with three chairs to each table to allow everyone a place to eat and to write after the film. At about 7 p.m. we introduced Nitasha Sawhney (pictured at right with host Robin Becker) local Sikh attorney and an interviewee featured in DWF, and then read Valarie’s letter from the screening guidelines. We then began the screening of the film.

At the conclusion we distributed the viewer response cards and began the discussion. While the conversation was slow starting it really did get interesting as we progressed. Almost everyone had a comment or an observation. Overall, the audience received the film well and I believe were deeply affected by the experience.

Gardner, Massachusetts

Reflection written by Heidi N. McCann, Reference and Instructional Services Librarian, Mt. Wachusett Community College. Photos by Gaurav Khanna.

Bringing Divided We Fall to our campus was a powerful way to start the fall semester. The timing could not have been better, and we are so lucky at Mount Wachusett Community College to have a wonderfully supportive group of faculty who did a remarkable job of promoting the film to their students.


At 10:20 am, DWF played to a packed room of about 100 students, faculty, staff and community members (we ran out of chairs – some had to stand or sit on the floor to watch). Following the film we used the suggested discussion questions, and conversation was guided by a trio of local experts – Kuljeet Tuteja from the New England Sikh Study Circle, the Rev. Karen Nell Smith from the North Leominster Congregational Church and Dr. Stephen Clark, psychology professor from Keene State College.

MWCC students were obviously engrossed by the film and many of the faculty remarked that they had never seen or heard a group so quietly involved in a documentary film at the college. No one stirred or spoke during the entire screening. DWF has an obvious special appeal to young people – having been made by two college students with many young people also shown in the film lends this unique attraction. What happened on September 11, 2001 is something that our MWCC students remember well and are still trying to grapple with, and the theme of the film – the aftermath of that day – helped make it fit perfectly to be shown on September 12.


Our three experts (Kuljeet, Rev. Karen and Dr. Clark) were kind enough to give their entire day to stay for the later, 7 p.m. screening. Buoyed by the success of the earlier showing, we were enthusiastically anticipating the evening audience. We were not disappointed. About 25 young people from a Boston area gurdwara attended, and enjoyed the film, along with 30-40 students, faculty, staff and visitors from the local community. For a 7 p.m. Friday event at our college, this number in attendance is quite notable – it has historically been difficult to draw a crowd to evening events.

The conversation after the film was fascinating, as the youth from the gurdwara talked about their experiences growing up Sikh in Massachusetts. Also a few of the faculty/staff in attendance had brought their own children, so just as had been the case in the morning, we had a nice mix of ages in the audience and the peer to peer youth (Sikh with non-Sikh) interaction was good to see.

As previously mentioned, the film was shown on a Friday, and all afternoon, and continuing into Monday I heard people at the college discussing the experience. As the viewer responses indicate, those in the audience were very moved and touched by what they saw and heard. Most people in our area had no prior knowledge of the Sikh community and religion. Valarie and Sonny now have become icons at our college, and I and the three discussion leaders have already talked about the possibility of bringing the filmmakers to our area. It would be an amazing way to continue to bring alive the message of tolerance, and understanding that we as a community experienced through Divided We Fall.

Petersborough, New Hampshire

Reflection written by Christine Howe.

On Sept. 11, 2008, All Saints' Church in Petersborough, N.H. hosted a screening of Divided We Fall. 15 people attended. Ages ranged from 25-94. All viewers were Caucasian and American-born. There were 11 Episcopalians, three Unitarians, and one Jewish person.
Some of the comments from the discussion:

"We all have a story; sometimes we aren’t ready to tell it…"

"I don’t think this film will change people: I accept the world as it is."

"I had a visceral reaction to Sonny saying he wears a turban to piss people off & the two boys’ reaction to Sonny: good for Sonny. What a kid!"

"Who really are the terrorists? Unfortunately, our country is full of terrorists. We will always have the same problems."

"The next election might change things! It takes people--in leadership roles—to make a difference."

"Prejudice is in all of us—we all have stereotypes. We have a natural response to the unfamiliar: it’s fear, and human nature is to protect ourselves. But as a people of faith, we can try to rise above these tendencies."

"The 'repent and be saved' statement in the film was particularly offensive. As a Christian, it’s hard to hear and see that kind of extremist position."

"Interfaith groups give hope. It is important to study other cultures."

"Skin color is the biggest hurdle in prejudice. But, prejudice 

transcends skin color."

"The film did show hope."

"The Widow’s statement of love and the love that she was shown was great. Forgiveness. "

"Change CAN happen and WILL happen."

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Reflection written by Pratik Banjade, president of the International Student Association, James Madison University.


Our experience with Divided We Fall was a fine one. Although our success could not be measured in the number of people that attended the movie and the discussion afterwards, it was seen in the impact the movie seemed to make on people. I feel that the movie did truly "start to make us be human with one another" at the discussion.

The movie was advertised to the whole campus, but being a weekday and close to the dates of many students' first tests we did not get the outcome we had hoped. We did have about 50 very engaged viewers come to the film, seventeen of whom came to the discussion afterwards. The discussion brought about closure and some sense of connectedness among the group. We talked about the documentary, personal experiences and many issues that affect us today, years later. Although not everyone was able to come to the discussion, I feel that the people who did come were impacted enough to pass on what they had learned.


The movie seemed to open new windows of view for everyone there. In high school, my best friend was Sikh, so I had heard of many of the topics discussed in the movie. However, even years later this movie brought about feelings that I did not know I even had. I found it hard to believe that one human could be so ignorant as to do on to others the worst that they could possibly imagine. On the other hand, I was amazed by the generosity of forgiveness and love that lies in people's hearts. With these dynamic aspects of human nature there seems to be hope for the reversal from the need to have "the other." However, we are not at a place today where this can happen. We still have people that believe that there has to be the other and that this other must be wrong in order for her/himself to be right.

I believe that change comes about though learning, and learning (when considering large populations) occurs relatively on a small case. But word does travel by mouth, affecting whoever it does touch and so hopefully one day we will live in a world that is not perfect but that is respectful. I commend the makers of the film for not just having such a novel idea but to actually execute it (in a time when some people were not as brave to seek out the truth). It is through efforts such as this that impacting messages are brought to the masses (so that they can be spread).

Atlanta, Georgia (Emory University)

Pictures from Dr. Richard Martin, professor of religion, Emory University.

Auburn, Alabama

Reflection written by Shakeer A. Abdullah, director of the Multicultural Center, Auburn University.

On September 11, 2008 we showed Divided We Fall to an audience of 25 people. The audience enjoyed the film and some were disappointed that Valarie herself could not be there to talk about her experiences. Our audience was not very diverse and some lamented the fact that there are apparently no Sikh students at Auburn. There may in fact be some, but none who wear turbans. Our audience was unaware of the difficulties facing the people in the film and left with a new understanding and plans to reach out to people on campus and in the community in an attempt to bridge the divide made so apparent in the film.

Grangeville, Idaho

Reflection written by Darcy James, of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Grangeville.

A screening of Divided We Fall was sponsored in Grangeville, Idaho, by two local churches, a neighboring monastery, and a couple of individual families. These groups, plus the local Elks Club, shared in the planning and arrangements. The pastor of a third church previewed the movie and participated thoughtfully in the meetings, but decided in the end that his congregation would perceive the message as “anti-Christian.” Our work together, and our honest dialogue with the one who decided not to join the effort, show that the film was a catalyst for community action even before the campaign event.

On Sept. 11, 2008, 33 people attended the screening at Grangeville High School, coming from as far away as 25 miles across the Camas Prairie. They watched the film in absorbed silence. After the film, the audience split up into pairs and discussed times that they felt like an outsider and times when they had seen someone else as an outsider. Then they were asked to consider the question, “If you could talk with anyone who appeared in the film, who would it be, and what would you like to say to them?” The floor was then opened for comments on the second question.

Some responses:
“I would want to tell the child [in San Jose] not to keep quiet. I’ve learned that silence indicates agreement. We have to speak up.”

“I’m a Canadian native who came here in 1961; had to register [as an alien] every year. I kept getting the question, “Why don’t you become a US citizen?”

“I am treated as an outsider because I have no religious belief, and people do not want to give me that freedom.”

“I see a parallel between the treatment of the Sikhs and the Fundamentalist LDS [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints] in Texas. They were persecuted because they were different. But they were just following their religion, and everyone over-reacted.”

“I appreciated Valarie’s line, “The heart of America is found where people come together, if just for a moment.”

“The widow said, 'There was an outpouring of love.' I think we would respond that way, too. The problem is that we always do it [show love] after the tragedy has happened. We need to do something before it happens."

Both before and afterward, individuals mentioned that it was “brave” to bring a film like this to Grangeville, where 99% of the population since the town’s founding has been white, and "diversity" has been defined as “Catholic vs. Protestant.” But even the Camas Prairie doesn’t continue in isolation. As our local population and our awareness gradually include other ethnic and religious groups, Divided We Fall has helped us understand their experience and move toward solidarity with them.

> Read audience responses from the Grangeville screening.

Atlanta, Georgia (First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta)

Reflection written by Karen L. Esterl, board member at First Existentialist Congregation of Atlanta.

We had between 40 and 50 people at our screening, many of whom were from our congregation; but I was glad to see unfamiliar faces there as well. Though it was a “school night,” the majority of folks stayed afterward for discussion. We had Tracy Wells, the film’s communications director, and Dr. Gurusahay Khalsa, a Sikh minister, there to help facilitate the dialogue and to answer questions.

The first question from one of the audience members was about the experiences of the Sikh community in Atlanta—in what ways people were affected and in what ways they have continued to be affected. Dr. Khalsa spoke, saying that Sikhs found strength in each other. “It perhaps would have been easier to take the turban off, but we are a people of God, and we are honored to have taken the form.” He noted that wearing the turban provides opportunities to educate others.

Another audience member said he felt discouraged and asked how we deal with bigotry and prejudice. Dr. Khalsa related a story about Gandhi that I hadn’t heard before. Worried that her son ate too much sugar, a woman had taken her child to Gandhi. She implored Gandhi to advise her child to stop eating so much sugar. Gandhi asked the mother to come back in two weeks. She returned with her child fourteen days later, and Gandhi told the child, “Stop eating sugar.” The mother asked why Gandhi hadn’t given that advice two weeks ago. His response was that he first had to stop eating sugar. The anecdote illustrated the importance of being the change we want to see in the world.

We also addressed the topic of what it means to be American. Among the ideas expressed were these (which I am paraphrasing as best I can):

“I wish I weren’t American. It’s embarrassing.”

“I think everyone is American, but the folks attacking people who are of a different religion are the least American. The people who came here to practice freedom of religion—that’s American. That’s part of why this country was founded.”

“I do think the US has a unique challenge. Most countries are more homogeneous. In the US we are more diverse, and we are a young country. Asking us what it means to be an American is like asking an infant, ‘ Who are you?’”

“When I was teaching 10 years ago, I was doing a lesson on Thanksgiving with 4 and 5 year olds. One Native American girl called herself Indian; and I said, ‘Well, actually [name of another student] is an Indian because he’s from India.’ But the Indian student said, ‘No, I’m American.’ So I learned a lesson that day from these kids: that we are all Americans.”

We closed the evening with singing “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” and several folks lingered on to continue the conversation. What was clear was that the people assembled were truly disturbed by the violence that humans have perpetrated against one another but were also determined to do what they could to promote peaceful understanding.

> Read audience responses from the First Existentialist screening.

Anchorage, Alaska

Reflection written by Emerson Singer, Alaska Pacific University student.

Being in sixth grade when the 9/11 attacks occurred, I don’t remember them very well. I remember I was on the bus on the way to school, listening to the news the driver had over the speaker and not really recognizing what was happening when I heard a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. It wasn’t until later, when someone told me that my English teacher was crying during lunch, I realized something big had happened. And still it seemed distant. The only real thing that happened to me was that the skies were silent for a few days and traveling became a little more obnoxious. I hadn’t even heard of the backlash attacks against people who looked like they could be terrorists until I saw Divided We Fall today, on the seventh anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

In addition to showing me an aspect of this national trauma that I had previously been ignorant to, I feel the film reinforced the idea that anyone can be an American, they simply have to support our country. This idea was brought up multiple times through the comparison of the post-9/11 hate crimes to the Japanese internment camps during World War II, or to hate crimes against African Americans and GLBT peoples. In a time of crisis, people need a scapegoat and they find whoever is convenient, in this case people who looked like they could have come from the Middle East. And yet, we are all Americans. We all support each other and we all love our country, regardless of where we or our ancestors came from.

In discussion following the film, I enjoyed hearing the stories of other members of minorities (in our case an Sri-Lankan American and a Mexican American).

Overall, I am very glad I had the opportunity to watch and discuss this film. It was a very moving and informative experience for me and I strongly recommend seeing it, especially for anyone who doesn’t clearly remember the events immediately following September 11th.

>Read viewer responses from the Alaska Pacific screening.

Menomonie, Wisconsin

Reflection written by Dr. Lopamudra Basu, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Philosophy and Assistant Director, University Honors Program, University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Divided We Fall was screened in Menomonie, Wis. at the UW Stout campus on September 10, 2008. The venue was Applied Arts 210 and the screening and discussion were held between 7-10 pm. The event was sponsored by the University Honors Program and the Ally Center/ MSC Involvement and Leadership. The event was publicized extensively in the campus and local media and resulted in an audience of over 100 attendees. The discussion was facilitated by Dr. Lopa Basu, Assistant Director of the Honors Program and Dr. Robert Horan, Director of the Honors Program.


The discussion was a very rich and stimulating one. At first many in the audience shared personal memories of when they had suddenly become targeted as the other. Some members in the audience brought in a historical perspective to issues of discrimination noting the banning of the German language in Wisconsin schools. Most in the audience were of the opinion that the only way to counter hate was through education. Some however were somewhat despondent about the active indoctrination into hate that was being undertaken by many extremist hate groups of various religions. Many in the audience expressed sympathy for the Sikh community even though there were no Sikhs in the audience. At the end, everyone wished for more opportunities to discuss these issues in a community setting. We are hoping to have more discussions of the film after the official DVD is released.

> Read audience responses from the UW Stout screening.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Reflection written by Mike Nilon, M.Div. '10 student at Harvard Divinity School and organizer of the HDS screening.

At the end of a long day of orientation, 54 students and diverse members of the Harvard Divinity School community gathered in the Sperry Room on Wednesday, Sept. 10 to view Divided We Fall. We were pleased with the diversity of the audience and their willingness to engage. We began the evening by dividing the plenary group into quads and having a short discussion, in which we asked our audience to discuss their experiences of September 11th. We wanted them to frame the movie with their own lived experiences and gut reactions to what happened.

As it did the first time that I watched it at Northeastern, the film invoked the ghosts of the various victims of this national tragedy and their spirits spoke to us of loss and also of healing. At numerous key points in the narrative I could see people leaning forward and hear audible gasps and sighs as the story reach its denouement. Afterwards, because the group was small enough, we all began to discuss the film and what we felt and thought about it. Numerous insightful and wise comments were made by different individuals in the audience.

One woman said that, although African-Americans had suffered the disastrous effects of racism for a very long time, African-Americans had been quick to judge people displaying articles of faith post 9-11. She felt convicted about that hypocrisy and urged greater solidarity in the future. One man argued that viewing a film was a start, but that we needed to get this form of representation out of the academy. An administrator of the school opined that these types of tragedies are happening everywhere and all the time. She thought that we should be vigilant lest violations of civil liberties and hate crimes become the norm in our society. One woman expressed admiration for Balbir Sodhi’s widow and her strength of character.

After a few minutes of discussion, we decided to bow our heads and observe a moment of silence in honor of the men and women who perished in this attack and other similar acts of violence.