A profile of an African-American community grappling with gay rights and gay marriage in the context of civil rights. From the pews to the streets, it introduces activists, families, and clergy on both sides of the campaign to legalize gay marriage in Maryland, examines homophobia in the church and the Christian right’s strategy of exploiting it, and charts the evolution of this historic fight and divisive issue within the black community. USA, 2013, 80 minutes, documentary, unrated
Community Partners: VCS, Spring Valley NAACP, Nyack NAACP
A post-screening discussion will include Willie Trotman, President of Spring Valley NAACP, Rev. Owen C. Thompson of Grace Church in Nyack, and Vanessa Green, VCS Racial Justice Organizer; moderated by Phyllis B. Frank, Associate Executive Director, VCS.
“. . .a portrait of what it means to be black, what it means to be gay, [and] what it means to be a Christian. ”—Peter Knegt, Indiewire.com
“Essential viewing. ”—Martin Tsai, Los Angeles Times
“. . . a film that leaves room for dialogue and change as it embraces the entire black community, even in disagreement. . . ” — Ronnie Scheib, Variety
“Perched precariously at the intersection of race, religion, and sexual identity, The New Black, Yoruba Richen’s calm and nuanced exploration of African-American attitudes toward same-sex marriage, balances crude filmmaking with sophisticated insights. ” — Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
“The New Black is a pushback against the notion that black people are the reason the gay marriage movement was stymied . .What emerges is an illuminating look at the ways race, specifically blackness, has been cynically portrayed by the mainstream media.” — Ernest Hardy, Village Voice
