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The Blood of Jesus
The Blood of Jesus is shown as part of the Race Films/Race Matters: Starting Conversations About Race in America series
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https://hws.zoom.us/j/96612927
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The Smith is teaming up with the Finger Lakes Film Trail and Finger Lakes Community College, to host a free, virtual screening and ZOOM discussion of Spencer Williams’ The Blood of Jesus (1941) on Thursday, April 29th. The Race Films/Race Matters series explores historical race films and how they’re relevant to today.
About The Blood of Jesus
A morality play about a deeply faithful woman who experiences a spiritual crisis, The Blood of Jesus (1941) celebrated the vitality and centrality of the church in black culture. Although religious themes were fairly common in early race films, The Blood of Jesus used the trope of temptation and redemption in an especially affecting way. Find more details about the film and a pre-recorded introduction by Cynthia Henderson by going to the Finger Lakes Film Trail website.
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Our Moderators
Our post-film ZOOM discussion will feature Deborah Kay Ferrell, Professor of English at Finger Lakes Community College, and Dorren Allen-Carr of Finger Lakes Community College.
Deborah Kay Ferrell is a professor of English at Finger Lakes Community College where she has taught for 24 years. She has taught Minority Groups in Film and is especially interested in underrepresented people. She has been granted a sabbatical for the fall semester of 2021 to work on her autofiction book, Gringa!, about her experiences with Miami’s Cuban community.
About Race Films
The films known as “race films” were produced between the 1910s and the early 1940s and were created by black film companies for black audiences. They starred black actors and emphasized black-oriented issues and themes
This series uses race films as a starting point for necessary, informative, and provocative conversations about race, racial tension, and racial discrimination in America today.
The Finger Lakes Film Trail program series Race Films/Race Matters: Starting Conversations About Race in America is made possible by an Action Grant from Humanities New York, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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