Join MPT as we explore a variety of films that prompt thoughtful discussion about race, empowerment, leadership, growth, and more. We encourage your participation and feedback, and welcome your ideas about ways to engage the community.
Have an idea for a screening? Please contact Kristen Penczek at kpenczek@mpt.org.
Upcoming Events
Breaking the News
By Heather Courtney, Princess Hairston, Chelsea Hernandez, and Diane M Quon
A group of women and LGBTQ+ journalists, bucking the white male status quo, launch The 19th*—a digital news startup that asks who has been omitted from mainstream coverage and how they can be included.
Screening Events:
Breaking the News Hybrid Screening & Panel Discussion
February 22nd at 7pm
In-person Registration | Virtual Registration
Broadcast Premiere: Monday, February 19, 2024 at 10pm EDT
Previous Events
Conversations for Change - Harriet Tubman: Visions for Freedom
Thursday, March 31 at 7pm
Join MPT and the Karson Institute for Race, Peace, & Social Justice for a special look and discussion of MPT's upcoming documentary Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom.
Meet the panel:
- Moderator: Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, host of "Today With Dr. Kaye" on WEAA; founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace & Social Justice and associate professor, Communication and African American Studies, Department of Communication, Loyola University Maryland
- Kate Clifford Larson, author, Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero
- Dr. Janell Hobson, professor, Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies, University at Albany; creator, Tubman 200 project on Ms. magazine's website
- Dr. Edda L. Fields-Black, associate professor, History Department, Carnegie Mellon University; author of the upcoming ‘Combee’: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid, and Black Freedom during the Civil War, the first full-length study of Harriet Tubman’s Civil War activities
- Karen V. Hill, president and CEO, Harriet Tubman Home, Inc.
Apart
March 21
On March 21, MPT held a special screening event that include watching "Apart," followed by a fireside chat with Kimberly Haven, Executive Director of Reproductive Justice Inside and Policy Consultant with From Prison Cells to Ph.D. and Topeka K. Sam, Founder and Executive Director of The Ladies of Hope Ministries.
To learn more about "Apart," or to watch the film, please visit http://www.pbs.org/apart.
Earth Emergency
December 15, 2021
On December 15, 2021, MPT held a virtual event to watch the documentary Earth Emergency and then engaged in an interactive conversation about the film.
This stunning program adds the missing piece of the climate puzzle and offers urgent hope. While everyone has heard of global warming, few understand how environmental feedback loops work; when the warming climate triggers nature’s own warming mechanisms, which amplifies the warming even further. Feedback loops are something that is not being taken into account by policymakers.
With captivating illustrations, stunning footage, and interviews with leading climate scientists as well as support from Greta Thunberg, The Dalai Lama, and many others, this revealing film examines how human activity is setting off four dangerous feedback loops: forests, atmosphere, permafrost, and albedo. Narrated by Richard Gere, Earth Emergency asks whether we are approaching a point of no return or if we have the will and vision to act now.
The panel discussion was moderated by MPT’s own Erin Chrest and the panel was comprised of Susan Gray - Director & Co-writer; Earth Emergency, Bonnie Waltch - Senior Producer & Writer, Earth Emergency; Susan Natali - Director of Arctic Program, Woodwell Climate Research Center.
Click here to watch the discussion on YouTube.
For more information about the film, please visit www.mpt.org/info/earthemergency
September 8
Awakening: HBCU Reckoning and Revival
MPT held a national conversation focusing on a contemporary view of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) through the eyes of the people who power them. Panelists discuss HBCUs as an important, vibrant, and active part of the Black American experience in politics, economics, culture, and industry.
This special event was presented during HBCU Week, part of MPT's “Standing Against Racism: Fostering Unity Through Dialogue” initiative.
Co-hosts Jarrett Carter, editor, HBCUDigest.com and graduate of Morgan State University, and Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, host of "Today With Dr. Kaye" on WEAA and founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice, and associate professor at Loyola University Maryland, guided us through a powerful conversation. We watch segments from HBCU programs, heard from panelists around the country, and answered questions from the audience in real time. Click here to watch the discussion on YouTube.
Thursday, May 20 & 27
Philly D.A.
On May 20 & 27, we partnered with Independent Lens' Town Hall in a Box, to bring you Conversations for Change screening events around the provocative PBS series Philly D.A. Each night, we watched an episode of Philly D.A. that was followed by a guided and interactive conversation.
Episode 7 (May 20)
Moderator: Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, host of "Today With Dr. Kaye" on WEAA; founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice and associate professor at Loyola University Maryland was joined by Adam Jackson, Chief Executive Officer of Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle; Justin Hansford, Executive Director, Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center; Dionne R. Gonder-Stanley, Associate Clinical Professor & Supervising Attorney, Criminal Defense Clinic; and LaTonya “T.” Myers, Activist and Bail Navigator, Defender Association.
Episode 8 (May 27)
Moderator: Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, host of "Today With Dr. Kaye" on WEAA; founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice and associate professor at Loyola University Maryland was joined by Dr. Yohuru R. Williams, Distinguished University Chair and Professor of History and Founding Director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas; Keesha M. Middlemass, PhD., Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Howard University; and LaTonya “T.” Myers, Activist and Bail Navigator, Defender Association.
Click here to watch the discussion on YouTube.
Watch Philly D.A. on MPT Passport here.
Wednesday, March 31
Women's History Month
In celebration of Women's History Month, and in partnership with Morgan State University and University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC), MPT held a special CFC event honoring Black women suffragists and their impact on the leaders of today. The screening included a presentation of "The Ongoing Fight," a co-production of American Experience and Retro Report, which presents the contributions of Black women in the suffrage movement, and where that movement is today.
Moderator: Dr. Karsonya "Kaye" Wise Whitehead, host of "Today With Dr. Kaye" on WEAA; founder of the Karson Institute for Race, Peace and Social Justice and associate professor at Loyola University Maryland was joined by Dr. Damon Freeman, director of the History and African American Studies Program at University of Maryland Global Campus; Dr. Toya Corbett, assistant vice president for Student Affairs for the University of North Carolina System; Donna Edwards, former U.S. representative for Maryland's 4th congressional district; and Gloria J. Browne-Marshall, professor, John Jay College (CUNY).
Wednesday, March 10
PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools
PUSHOUT: The Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools takes a deep dive into the lives of Black girls and the practices, cultural beliefs and policies that disrupt one of the most important factors in girls’ lives – education. The documentary underscores the challenges Black girls face with insight from experts across the country who have worked extensively in the field of social justice, gender equality and educational equity. These experts give context to the crisis and provide a roadmap for how our educational system and those who interact with Black girls can provide a positive rather than punitive response to behaviors that are often misunderstood or misrepresented.
After watching PUSHOUT, we held an interactive conversation with the film’s director, writer and executive producer, Jacoba Atlas; executive producer, Denise Pines; and director of policy, advocacy and outreach with From Prison Cells to PhD, Kimberly Haven. MPT's own correspondent, Karen Gibbs, will moderate the discussion.
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Shaw Rising
Shaw University started in December 1865 with a bible class for newly freed slaves in Raleigh, NC. Fighting vicious prejudice in the aftermath of the Civil War and the Jim Crow South, Shaw rose to become a coeducational college, later begot a medical school, a law school, and a divinity school. Join us to watch Shaw Rising and engage in a conversation around the role, future, and importance of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We'll be joined by Shaw University President Dr. Paulette Dillard and MPT Senior Vice President and Chief Content Officer Travis Mitchell for an interactive discussion.
Click here to watch the discussion on YouTube.
Watch Shaw Rising here.
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Backs Against The Wall: The Howard Thurman Story
This film explored the extraordinary life of Howard Thurman, a teacher, poet and in his heart a “mystic,” and proponent of the non-violent struggle for social change. Jesse Jackson, Otis Moss, Jr and others speak about Thurman’s “spirit” being foundational in their lives. Congressman John Lewis calls him the “patron saint” of the Civil Rights Movement. Actor Keith David voices Thurman’s words. We were joined by the filmmaker, Martin Doblmeier for a chat conversation during and after the film.
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
We Are The Radical Monarchs
A group of tween girls chant into megaphones, marching in the San Francisco TransMarch. Holding clenched fists high, they wear brown berets and vests showcasing colorful badges like “Black Lives Matter” and “Radical Beauty.” Meet the Radical Monarchs, a group of young girls of color at the front lines of social justice. We watched We Are The Radical Monarchs and had a chat conversation around women and girls leadership and empowerment, civic engagement, politics, government and youth power with the film's Director & Producer, Linda Goldstein Knowlton.
