On MLK Day

Quote for the day:

Actually, time itself is neutral; it can be used either destructively or constructively.—Martin Luther King, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963

The Central Queens Y will be screening the film Blacks & Jews, followed by a discussion led by Bob Kaplan, the director of Intergroup Relations for the Jewish Community Relations Council. Here are the goods on the film:

During the civil rights movement, Blacks and Jews fought together for equal rights. With the waning of that movement, differences in economic status caused both groups to turn inward. Positions hardened around such divisive issues as busing, affirmative action in the schools, Louis Farrakhan’s anti-Semetism.

This film, made collaboratively by Jewish and Black filmmakers, goes behind the headlines and the rhetoric to try to heal the misunderstanding and mistrust. Acclaimed at the Sundance Film Festival, this thoughtful documentary focuses on several key conflicts, such as the Crown Heights riots and an incident in which Black teenagers laughed during a showing of Schindler’s List, as seen from the perspective of activists on both sides.

Monday, 1/21, 1 p.m. at the Central Queens Y, 67-09 108 St.

Call 718.268.5011 x151 or e-mail pkurtz@qcyjcc.org for more information.