American Denial sheds a unique light on the unconscious political and moral world of modern Americans. By highlighting the social research unearthed by a Swede’s research in the 1940’s, the film weaves a narrative (using research footage, newsreels, home movies, and modern short films) exposing some of the potential underlying causes continuing to affect implicit racial biases inherent in America’s institutions today. Timely given recent events that have sparked a national dialogue on race dynamics, the provocative film’s exploration of “stop and frisk” practices, the incarceration crisis, and racially-patterned poverty challenges our assumptions about who we are and what we really believe.

The screening will be followed by Q&A with Dr. Mark A. Bolden, Assistant Professor of Counseling and adjunct professor at Trinity. An expert on the theories and legacy of Franz Fanon, Dr. Bolden also has teaching experience with Virginia Commonwealth University, Goucher College and Howard University. And Todd Steven Burroughs, is a journalist, historian and popular culture geek. He believes this. With a Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism, Todd is a lifelong student of the history of Black media.

Sponsors: Institute for Policy Studies, Community Cinema [DC], ITVS, WHUT, Busboys and Poets, Center for Media & Social Impact, and Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital.

Making reservations is recommended.

Community Cinema is a free monthly screening series, featuring sneak peeks of films from the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. In over 65 cities nationwide, screenings are followed by lively panel discussions that bring together citizens, organizations and public television stations to encourage dialogue and action around important and timely social issues.