The smell of Pino’s Pizza wafts through the MLK room as people talk in hushed whispers. At 5:15 p.m., the lights flicker and the movie begins.
The high school kick-started its first Race Reels of the school year on Thursday, Oct. 19. Race Reels is a monthly, all-inclusive program sponsored by the Brookline Educators Union (BEU) and the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO). It strives to evoke conversations by premiering powerful documentaries on race and identity while also providing pizza to all attendees.
The documentary shown on Thursday was “Visions of Us: LGBTQ+ Latino Representation in TV & Film” directed by trans Dominican-American filmmaker Kase Peña. The film was chosen in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, as it celebrated influential LGBTQ+ Latin American figures, and also explored the influence of family and peers on LGBTQ+ individuals.
Sophomore Jinann Wang said her main takeaway from Thursday’s event was the importance of support when someone comes out as queer.
“I learned the importance of [the role of] parents in a queer person’s life,” Wang said. “It showed how impactful a parent’s reaction is in terms of support, and in terms of finding who they are or accepting who they are.”
After attending Race Reels for the first time, junior Mark Bredfeldt said he enjoyed his experience as it helped him learn about new backgrounds and stories.
“Race Reels is a great way to see new films and to learn about what’s happening around us. There were really great and meaningful conversations today,” Bredfeldt said.
Bredfledt said going forward, he is interested in learning more about minority groups such as the LGBTQ+ and Latino community.
“We talked about how important [queer and Latino] representation is in films, and how much it has improved,” Bredfledt said. “I’m now more interested in [these topics] and want to make sure I read more about them and the stories that are being put out.”
Spanish teacher and Race Reels co-facilitator Lindsay Davis said she recommends attending Race Reels to practice vulnerability and talking about sensitive topics.
“Race Reels has helped me have conversations about really hard topics. Some teachers at school will say, ‘I don’t know how to talk about [a certain topic] because I have not been trained.’ Want to be trained? Attend Race Reels! It gives great practice,” Davis said.
Davis also said the program has influenced her teaching, helping her design lessons that include intricate and up-to-date topics.
“Race Reels helps me as a teacher because it helps me consider what kind of curriculum I should be teaching,” Davis said. “Spanish teachers at the high school make their own curriculum, so Race Reels is great for me to think about what important topics are out there, and what students would like to learn about during my class.”
Hayley Wells, a special education teacher and Race Reels co-facilitator, said leading Race Reels, which she has done for the past five years, has helped shape her into the teacher she is today.
“I always leave [Race Reels] inspired and wanting to go back into my classroom to have some of these conversations [regarding race and identity], to put into practice the things I see in these films to make my teaching inclusive,” Wells said. “I just want everybody to feel safe, good and brave in my classroom. A lot of the inspiration I get to do this comes from Race Reels.”
