INC NEWS - another response to cross burnings: An Unlikley Friendship (film & panel at NCCU on June 2)

[John Schelp]

A Community Response to the Recent Cross Burnings in
Durham, NC

Why: Community response to the recent cross burnings
in Durham

What: Showing of the award winning documentary film,
An Unlikley Friendship, a panel discussion with local
community and civil rights leaders, and community
sharing 

When: Thursday, June 2nd from 7:00 – 9:00 pm

Where: B.N. Duke Auditorium at NC Central University
in Durham

Organizing Partners: Character Development Group, The
City of Durham, NC Central University, and Duke
University

Donation: $1.00 to help offset security costs for the
event

Contacts: Stacy Shelp-Peck, Character Development
Group (919) 967-2110 or sshelp at charactereducation.com

Security Note: All attendees will have to go through a
metal detector prior to entry into the bldg.

About An Unlikley Friendship
"Their story is one of redemption. It’s one of the
most important documentaries I’ve seen, and may be the
most hopeful film in years."—Studs Terkel

In the early 1970’s, when Durham, N.C., was
experiencing acrimonious racial tensions, Ann Atwater,
a civil rights activist, and CP Ellis, the Exalted
Grand Cyclops of the Durham Ku Klux Klan, were
appointed to co-chair a community committee to resolve
problems arising from a court-ordered desegregation of
the schools. Through working together and getting to
know each other as humans, they formed a deep and
loving friendship that continues to this day. An
Unlikely Friendship has been screened at film
festivals across the country and is the winner of
several "best documentary short" awards.

An Unlikely Friendship is an inspiring film about the
remarkable relationship between an outspoken
African-American activist and an embittered Ku Klux
Klansman. The story of the unexpected alliance and
lifelong friendship that grows between them is both
moving and empowering. Told in their own words, this
rich and compelling story of the common-sense search
for common ground and overcoming hatred is as
down-to-earth as the protagonists themselves. 

Panel Members and Special Guests:

Mayor William V. Bell – Durham – Invited

Dr. James Ammons - Chancellor NC Central University –
Confirmed

Dr. Richard Brodhead – President of Duke University -
Invited

Diane Bloom – Director and Filmmaker of An Unlikley
Friendship - Confirmed

Ben Reese – Vice President in charge of Institutional
Equity, Duke University - Confirmed

Ann Atwater – Civil Rights Activist and one of the
stars of An Unlikley Friendship - Invited

Reverend Gene Hatley – Pastor of Barbee’s Missionary
Baptist Church, President of the Chapel Hill/Carboro
Ministerial Alliance, and winner of the 2005 NAACP
Community Service Award, Chapel Hill - Confirmed

Reverend James Pike – Pastor of Olin T. Binkley
Memorial Baptist Church - Confirmed

Larry Holt – Chair of the Durham Human Relations
Commission - Invited

Mary Ann Black – Associate VP of Community Affairs for
Duke University Health System and former Durham County
Commissioner – Confirmed