RATIONALE FOR FILM:
1. Extension of cultural encapsulation paper (Autobio 2); application beyond self
2. Provide a bridge between Spring, and Rogoff, and the winter term emphasis; plant seeds
3. Provide historical context for discussion issues around sensitivity, diversity, power and privilege.
4. Help us individually and as a cohort to explore our own behaviors within the cohort as practice for doing the same with your students.
5. Respond to requests from cohort members to insert this when appropriate
6. Provide focus on part of the MIT covenant

FOCUS TOPICS AFTER THE FILM:
1. What’s the film’s thesis?
2. What does the film “say” to you personally in terms of your own experiences?
3. In light of the film’s message, how are we doing in our cohort?


“The Shadow of Hate” film summary
• Klan marches 1925/ 40,000 strong; against Jews, Catholics, Blacks, Foreigners
• Religious Intolerance - in early America
o those who sought freedom persecuted others
o Quakers and Baptists persecuted
• Irish - Catholic ancestry:
o thought of as low class, stupid, dirty
o seen as Catholic conspiracy to take over “America”
o “Know Nothings” politics - wanted only Americans born
? Protestants in politics
• Native Americans / First Peoples
o - Lakota Sioux forced to go to reservation - army was taking weapons away heard one shot and attacked women and children - “Battle” of Wounded Knee - 1890
o tribal members slaughtered; survivors put in “reservations”
• Chinese ancestry:
o railway workers - did grunt work for low pay
o bad working conditions - extreme heat and cold - 15% - 30% died
o after railroad was put in ghettos, pushed out of towns like Seattle and Tacoma and ...
• Japanese ancestry: immigrants (Issei) and native-born children (Nisei)
o denied citizenship
o forced into custody during WWII - horrible conditions - several years
o served in military - regiment most decorated
• Mexican ancestry:
o fought in WWII - died - funeral; Texas wouldn’t give service for Mexican Americans

• African ancestry:
o James Cameron - was following the boys planning to rob - mob came to lynch him - white man spoke up as they were hanging him
o Lynchings peaked ‘20’s-30’s; hundreds per year; not stopped until late 60s

• Jewish faith:
o owned successful business - girl came to pick up pay and was beaten and killed - nephew (Northerner) was in factory - put on trial - mobs out cheering - jury afraid of being lynched - approved execution - governor of Georgia thought that other man was guilty - commuted to life sentence instead of death - mob still came and lynched Leo Frank
o children’s rhyme made - lawyer profited

• Politicians/powerful people can use race, ancestry and religion to advance themselves
o -Theodore Bilbo - didn’t want blacks voting - wanted them to “go back to Africa”
o Henry Ford - very anti-Jewish - pacifist - bought newspaper to expose Jews as causing war, jazz, liquor - made car dealers sell newspaper

• Today
o neo-Nazis, KKK politics - Duke of Louisiana - Imperial Wizard of KKK, ran for US senator
o religion - Louis Farrakhan - blames Jews for black problems
o NOT shown: women’s struggle for suffrage and other equalities, Matthew Shepherd story, Stonewall attack, Michael Donald (Ala., ’81), James Byrd (Tex., ’98), and who else?