This is the second in a series of four case stories we researched while developing Prenups for Filmmakers and FaithRooted Partners, commissioned by our friends at Hartley Media Impact Initiative at Auburn Seminary. Customized from our original model, these Prenups draw deeply on the candor and analysis of directors, clergy, impact producers, faith-based groups, funders, and others (sometimes unusual bedfellows) as they built trust around a film focused on surveillance. We are grateful to everyone — quoted or behind the scenes — who shared their wisdom with us.
Table of Contents
The New Black, a documentary by Yoruba Richen, closely follows impassioned activists, families, and clergy in Maryland as they take their stands on a 2012 ballot initiative to legalize same-sex marriage. Against the backdrop of some LGBTQ groups (erroneously) blaming black voters for the passage of an anti-gay marriage bill in California, the film offers a rare window into the interplay of movements and motives. On one side, we meet the advocates who struggle against homophobia in the church — the backbone of the black community. Some straight, some LGBTQ, we listen in as they connect their lived experiences with civil rights struggles and deeply-held values. On the other side, we follow the church devotees determined to uphold conservative Christian beliefs about marriage (“between a man and a woman”), homosexuality (“a lifestyle choice”) and other issues central to a “pro-family” right-wing doctrine. Throughout, we watch the fight for gay rights and full participation get personal and political as protagonists come to terms with their own identities and demands for racial justice. (Spoiler alert: the voters of Maryland pass the legislation for marriage equality.)
2014: Festivals
2014: PBS broadcast on Independent Lens
2013-2018: Community and faith-rooted screenings (including ITVS’s Community Cinema public education and civic engagement initiative), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
Chris and Yvonne each worked on the campaign part time, supported occasionally by associate producers and an intern. Throughout, director Yoruba made between 10-20% of her time available to the effort. A grant of $242,000 enabled the producer and the outreach consultant to provide consultation, partner development, and the rights to use the film free of charge to all partners. Towards that end, two faith-based partners received mini-grants of $500 to defray out-of-pocket expenses.
Director, producer, and writer Yoruba Richen and producer Yvonne Welbon spearheaded the campaign to explore “why these two freedom struggles — racial justice and LGBT rights — were continually coming into conflict.” They engaged Chris Smith, a strategist, scholar, and outreach specialist at the Human Rights Campaign, to manage the effort.
Reverend Kamal Hassan serves as Designated Pastor of Sojourner Truth Presbyterian Church in Richmond, California. He emphasizes two priorities in his work: “The first is ‘woman positive,’ because we know that churches can be unsafe spaces for women. We want their leadership; God speaks to women powerfully and we want to hear their voices on concerns beyond food and kids.” This inclusion also extends to the LGBTQI [Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer or Questioning, and Intersex] community. “Some sermons and church behaviors can be homophobic,” said Rev. Hassan. “[Too often] the church isolates people into classes, rather than being their real selves. That’s the opposite of who Jesus was and what he called the church to be about.”
Faith-rooted screenings, panel discussions, and forums: These events assisted “clergy and congregations in promoting partnerships, dialogue and policies that support African American and other faith-based institutions in becoming welcoming and affirming.” They raised over $220,000 in outreach funding largely from secular sources, including Sundance and ITVS. For a full overview of their HBCU, corporate, and community efforts, see their impact report.
Customized coaching and technical support: The film team designated a knowledgeable staff member to support each partner congregation, including help with clarifying objectives, developing and optimizing programs, and crafting proactive communications, especially internal.
The New Black team started by inviting key faith-rooted leaders into an advisory group, and conducted a survey to learn how TNB could be useful in their social change efforts. The responses were generally positive, and many of the advisors helped design the campaign. “We were careful with our outreach,” recalls Chris Smith. “We started out with who we thought was our natural audience — black churches that were becoming more inclusive and progressive.”
“We were careful with our outreach. We started out with who we thought was our natural audience — black churches that were becoming more inclusive and progressive.” – Chris Smith
Unlike many fruitful partnerships, the impact team and Rev. Hassan met through the media. After hearing about the film through its promotional campaign or perhaps a clip on the local news, Rev. Hassan says, “I became interested; there wasn’t anyone who didn’t need to see it. The New Black told the story about LGBTQI who may be in our families, but were rarely embraced in a church context.”
Rev. Hassan remembers the energy and ideas he heard on a conference call convened by the TNB team. “Interacting with the filmmakers and other congregations who had shown it — or wanted to — got my attention. They had experiences of becoming more inclusive, how it happened more broadly, and how the film was helpful.” The discussion guide facilitated planning and organizing.
To encourage deeper and longer-term dialogue, faith-rooted leaders were encouraged to work with each other on TNB events. For example, Rev. Hassan’s predominantly African American congregation used the film in partnership with a sister church to support the advancement of a more inclusive and progressive ministry. “How do we claim all the ways that black lives live, and highlight these in churches?”
Take a stand when called for: Speaking from experience, Rev. Hassan concurred and pressed on. “In a large congregation that decides to name themselves an “affirming congregation, some congregants might quit and not return. That happened to my church too. I can’t please everyone, but we must err on the side of love. If we have to wait until everyone is comfortable with these changes, then we’re not making impact.” Asked whether he had advice for other faith-rooted leaders interested in provocative films, he suggested: “Find allies, people who will work with and support you within and outside of church spaces. You need people to lean on when the pushback and opposition happens. No one individual can do it all.
Anticipate challenges and backlash: The realities of what congregations might face when they initiate discussion on highly polarized topics deserve proactive attention. Yvonne Welbon acknowledges that partners might worry about congregants turning away from the church, and affecting revenue and relationships. It’s important to understand these consequences in the broader context of social relationships; a film doesn’t cause these chasms, but rather surfaces them. As Yvonne notes: “These fears, real or perceived, represent barriers for churches, specifically church leadership.”
Be realistic about your resources, and be ready to recalibrate: The team quickly recognized what participation meant for partners who had few resources to allocate for screening-related costs. As Chris Smith said, “It’s easy to underestimate the time and energy it takes to support screenings that catalyze specific action. We also recognized the amount of work required from our partners. We had to reconcile that.” Yvonne Welbon added, “Some ministries have budgets, and some don’t — even for a DVD on a laptop! We also learned to talk about resource allocation for longer term work” with the film or on the issue. Yvonne said they initially had big plans to “help clergy and congregations use the film to build partnerships and even policies that would support faith-based institutions be more welcoming and affirming. Ultimately we learned that our goal was too ambitious.” By assessing their initial expectations in the real world of funding, access, and capacity, they were able to “right-size” their efforts, and leave the door open for future opportunities.
“It’s easy to underestimate the time and energy it takes to support screenings that catalyze specific action. We also recognized the amount of work required from our partners. We had to reconcile that.” – Chris Smith
Customize faith-rooted conversations: The TNB team was savvy about the need to create particular paths for faith-rooted vs. their more secular partners “But with faith, there’s more grey area.” Chris Smith observed. “For starters, who do we need to have around us? And later, what would it take to sustain this work? A curriculum?” Rev. Hassan recognizes that “There’s a spectrum of perspectives on opening these issues up, from ‘Where did this film come from and why is it here?’ to ‘Oh, finally!’ It created a safe space for people to identify their own ideas.”
“There’s a spectrum of perspectives on opening these issues up” – Rev. Hassan
Set the tone: Chris Smith pointed to decisions that can increase the likelihood of a productive, if complex conversation. For example, “We took the responsibility for finding a community space [for a faith-rooted partner], which offered some distance from a spiritual setting.” Not every congregation took those steps, however. Kelly Brown Douglas, an author and professor of religion at Goucher College observed how The New Black and similar initiatives opened the door for otherwise taboo conversations. “[In some churches] You get this reluctance to speak about issues of sexuality and you get this rigid line about LGBTQ sexuality,” she told Religion News“ Douglas said. “If it is discussed at all, it is discussed as a sin. That narrative is very strong.”
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