Resilient America: Stories of Struggle and Hope from Across Cultures
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Endorsements
Endorsements by Professors, Authors, and Students
I had the pleasure of using Dr. Abdul Jabbar's book in a course on American Cultures in Literature and Film. It was extremely well received by students who commented on its engaging readings and wide range of representative texts from all the major cultural groups in US history. I have not found an American Cultures anthology of this breadth and depth before and look forward to teaching Dr. Jabbar's excellent textbook in the future.
— Karen C. Cox, Professor and Chair, Department of English, City College of San Francisco
As times change, so does the need to understand what a particular country's culture is made of. With her history and place in the modern world, the USA's cultural history appears quite unique. For far too long, we have been asked to view America as a monolithic entity, forcing minority groups to imbibe American culture through a white, male-centric lens. Prof. Abdul Jabbar's book counters that notion by bringing into the equation points of view and experiences offered by other, often marginalized groups in American history. The kind and astute teacher in him shows the reader that American culture(s) is a mosaic where contributions in literature and film by white and non-white people alike have an irreplaceable worth. He does so not by demeaning one group or another but by encouraging us to develop an ability to hear and believe the other. The literary and movie selections, together with their presentation by the author, make it an excellent resource for anyone interested in American studies, race relations, ethnic studies,
American literature, and related disciplines.
—Moazzam Sheikh, author of Idol Lover and Other Stories and A Footbridge to Hell Called Love
“Whether you’re a student trying to expand your understanding of the American experience, an educator seeking to gain valuable knowledge and insight to share with your class, or just a curious person who wishes to delve deeply into the amazing American experiment, you will be transformed by this text.”
—Elisa Shore, Professor, English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco.
“Using the pleasurable means of literature and film, this book offers an honest and probing analysis of America’s collective psyche and its rich cultural mosaic. Its interesting and relevant content supports the notion that another world of social justice and peaceful coexistence is possible.”
—Allan Fisher, Professor, English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco.
“The readings and films were thoughtfully chosen to provide opportunities to examine patterns of prejudice, bias, and ethnic stereotyping that characterize the reality of America. Some selections also offered a glimpse of the promise and potential of America. The range of readings was glorious, and it was refreshing to step away from the Classic Canon to read under-represented authors who offered different use of language, and new perspectives and world
views. It was a memorable reader and course!”
—Jana Zanetto, Professor Emerita of English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco, California.
“In his classes and published works, Dr. Jabbar’s ever clear-eyed approach to jousting with the windmills of injustice awakens students, professionals, and readers like myself, forever changing our world view. This book is a wonderful vehicle for appreciating the many faces of the American experience and an essential companion for any serious reader in these times. I know that Dr. Jabbar will be using his last breath to awaken the people of this continent in the cause of global understanding and peace.
—Doris Smith, editor and reviewer
“I thought I was intimately familiar with American cultures. However, after taking Professor Jabbar’s class, reading the compiled materials in his book, and watching the linked videos, I realized how much I’d missed. The book opened my eyes and understanding to the panoply of cultures—their histories, struggles, and contributions—that makes this country resilient and exceptionally great. I highly recommend one and all exploring the whole nation with Professor Jabbar as trusted and informed navigator.”
--Jenny Hammer, Professor (retd.), English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco, Author, Albert Drosoph’s Field Guide to Punctuation
"Dr. Jabbar has assembled a rich collection that embraces the diverse people, experiences and cultural traditions that make up the great American experiment. He weaves together a wonderful mosaic of stories, films and essays that cover the breadth of the many Americas that exist, offering a variety of extraordinary voices and unique perspectives. Thought provoking and enlightening."
—Kim Tally, Writer, Editor and Journalist
“In the literary world, there's no shortage of thought-provoking material. Unfortunately, most of that material is of very particular origin: straight, white men. . . . but where are the people of color? The LGBT voices? . . . . I found the material [in this book] refreshing in its relevance and diversity of voices and attitudes. It's an unflinching look at lives of people who would otherwise be ignored, and therefore an essential read not only to the growing writer, but the average American."
—Abigail Kelly, novelist and author of Knitbone.
Student Reflections
“I'll be holding on to this book for my children to read (they're 5, 3, and 1 now). … It should be required at every university. I have degrees in international relations and a doctorate in jurisprudence. Dr. Jabbar’s class is one of the best I've ever taken. It's been really hard to read a lot of the reading material—hearing it in the voices of the people who actually lived it.”
—Jennifer Stringfellow
“I felt engaged with the work and often found myself wearing the perspectives of our readings and themes of our discussions for days at a time, much like when a skillful work of fiction or film pulls you into its world and everything you see during the day becomes informed by the experience. In this case the perspective was also informed by the historical content.”
—Samuel Speas
“I deeply admire Dr. Jabbar’s work. I was profoundly challenged by his course in ways that forced me to examine my own ingrained paradigms, preconceived notions that I didn't even know were a part of how I saw this life I'm existing in. In exploring these places in me, my worldview, my mind and, most importantly, my heart was expanded to planes I hadn't conceived of. For that, I am eternally grateful. His offering to our world, in this book and his other work, is
a gift.”
—Victoria Robertson
“I had no idea that this course would be so impactful. I really don't have the words to express how I am feeling because of what I have learned from the readings and viewings. I am definitely a different person than when I started this course. I will always strive to learn the truth and not allow news media to influence my thinking. I will make the effort to seek the truth.”
—Cynthia Stewart
(a student who took Prof. Karen Cox’s class on American Cultures in Literature and Film in the Fall 2019 semester at City College of San Francisco. This book, in the form of an unpublished class reader is the main required text in that course.)
“In the class reader (now being made into a regular book), I appreciated the mix of prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction from a diverse variety of authors and sources, both noted and obscure. Additionally, I especially appreciated that the works were thoughtfully chosen, and presented views both uncommon and uncommonly fair. For example, very few people care about presenting both sides of the Jewish and Arab issue, and fewer still include works by Black men sympathetic to poor Whites. As a mixed person, I took great pleasure in that.
—Anonymous
I had the pleasure of using Dr. Abdul Jabbar's book in a course on American Cultures in Literature and Film. It was extremely well received by students who commented on its engaging readings and wide range of representative texts from all the major cultural groups in US history. I have not found an American Cultures anthology of this breadth and depth before and look forward to teaching Dr. Jabbar's excellent textbook in the future.
— Karen C. Cox, Professor and Chair, Department of English, City College of San Francisco
As times change, so does the need to understand what a particular country's culture is made of. With her history and place in the modern world, the USA's cultural history appears quite unique. For far too long, we have been asked to view America as a monolithic entity, forcing minority groups to imbibe American culture through a white, male-centric lens. Prof. Abdul Jabbar's book counters that notion by bringing into the equation points of view and experiences offered by other, often marginalized groups in American history. The kind and astute teacher in him shows the reader that American culture(s) is a mosaic where contributions in literature and film by white and non-white people alike have an irreplaceable worth. He does so not by demeaning one group or another but by encouraging us to develop an ability to hear and believe the other. The literary and movie selections, together with their presentation by the author, make it an excellent resource for anyone interested in American studies, race relations, ethnic studies,
American literature, and related disciplines.
—Moazzam Sheikh, author of Idol Lover and Other Stories and A Footbridge to Hell Called Love
“Whether you’re a student trying to expand your understanding of the American experience, an educator seeking to gain valuable knowledge and insight to share with your class, or just a curious person who wishes to delve deeply into the amazing American experiment, you will be transformed by this text.”
—Elisa Shore, Professor, English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco.
“Using the pleasurable means of literature and film, this book offers an honest and probing analysis of America’s collective psyche and its rich cultural mosaic. Its interesting and relevant content supports the notion that another world of social justice and peaceful coexistence is possible.”
—Allan Fisher, Professor, English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco.
“The readings and films were thoughtfully chosen to provide opportunities to examine patterns of prejudice, bias, and ethnic stereotyping that characterize the reality of America. Some selections also offered a glimpse of the promise and potential of America. The range of readings was glorious, and it was refreshing to step away from the Classic Canon to read under-represented authors who offered different use of language, and new perspectives and world
views. It was a memorable reader and course!”
—Jana Zanetto, Professor Emerita of English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco, California.
“In his classes and published works, Dr. Jabbar’s ever clear-eyed approach to jousting with the windmills of injustice awakens students, professionals, and readers like myself, forever changing our world view. This book is a wonderful vehicle for appreciating the many faces of the American experience and an essential companion for any serious reader in these times. I know that Dr. Jabbar will be using his last breath to awaken the people of this continent in the cause of global understanding and peace.
—Doris Smith, editor and reviewer
“I thought I was intimately familiar with American cultures. However, after taking Professor Jabbar’s class, reading the compiled materials in his book, and watching the linked videos, I realized how much I’d missed. The book opened my eyes and understanding to the panoply of cultures—their histories, struggles, and contributions—that makes this country resilient and exceptionally great. I highly recommend one and all exploring the whole nation with Professor Jabbar as trusted and informed navigator.”
--Jenny Hammer, Professor (retd.), English as a Second Language, City College of San Francisco, Author, Albert Drosoph’s Field Guide to Punctuation
"Dr. Jabbar has assembled a rich collection that embraces the diverse people, experiences and cultural traditions that make up the great American experiment. He weaves together a wonderful mosaic of stories, films and essays that cover the breadth of the many Americas that exist, offering a variety of extraordinary voices and unique perspectives. Thought provoking and enlightening."
—Kim Tally, Writer, Editor and Journalist
“In the literary world, there's no shortage of thought-provoking material. Unfortunately, most of that material is of very particular origin: straight, white men. . . . but where are the people of color? The LGBT voices? . . . . I found the material [in this book] refreshing in its relevance and diversity of voices and attitudes. It's an unflinching look at lives of people who would otherwise be ignored, and therefore an essential read not only to the growing writer, but the average American."
—Abigail Kelly, novelist and author of Knitbone.
Student Reflections
“I'll be holding on to this book for my children to read (they're 5, 3, and 1 now). … It should be required at every university. I have degrees in international relations and a doctorate in jurisprudence. Dr. Jabbar’s class is one of the best I've ever taken. It's been really hard to read a lot of the reading material—hearing it in the voices of the people who actually lived it.”
—Jennifer Stringfellow
“I felt engaged with the work and often found myself wearing the perspectives of our readings and themes of our discussions for days at a time, much like when a skillful work of fiction or film pulls you into its world and everything you see during the day becomes informed by the experience. In this case the perspective was also informed by the historical content.”
—Samuel Speas
“I deeply admire Dr. Jabbar’s work. I was profoundly challenged by his course in ways that forced me to examine my own ingrained paradigms, preconceived notions that I didn't even know were a part of how I saw this life I'm existing in. In exploring these places in me, my worldview, my mind and, most importantly, my heart was expanded to planes I hadn't conceived of. For that, I am eternally grateful. His offering to our world, in this book and his other work, is
a gift.”
—Victoria Robertson
“I had no idea that this course would be so impactful. I really don't have the words to express how I am feeling because of what I have learned from the readings and viewings. I am definitely a different person than when I started this course. I will always strive to learn the truth and not allow news media to influence my thinking. I will make the effort to seek the truth.”
—Cynthia Stewart
(a student who took Prof. Karen Cox’s class on American Cultures in Literature and Film in the Fall 2019 semester at City College of San Francisco. This book, in the form of an unpublished class reader is the main required text in that course.)
“In the class reader (now being made into a regular book), I appreciated the mix of prose, poetry, fiction and non-fiction from a diverse variety of authors and sources, both noted and obscure. Additionally, I especially appreciated that the works were thoughtfully chosen, and presented views both uncommon and uncommonly fair. For example, very few people care about presenting both sides of the Jewish and Arab issue, and fewer still include works by Black men sympathetic to poor Whites. As a mixed person, I took great pleasure in that.
—Anonymous
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Audio Overview of References
Chapter-by-Chapter descriptive links to readings and viewings in the book.
Note: All relevant and available links have been provided here. Please be aware that external links may occasionally become inactive or inaccessible. If a link does not work, we recommend searching for the linked content by entering its description directly into your browser. For the latest updates, corrections, or supplementary materials, please visit the Errata and Updates page on my website (www.professorjabbar.com). This page will be regularly maintained to ensure you have access to the most current resources. Chapter One: Introduction: What Is Needed to Make the Potential of America a RealityDescription
URLs
Anne Frank. 10 beautiful quotes from The Diary of a Young Girl
“History Honors 250”: United States’ history of the past 250 years since its birth” by History.Com editors
United States’ Declaration of Independence
Dollarocracy: How the Money and Media Election Complex is Destroying America by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney with a foreword by Senator Bernie Sanders (Nation Books, 2013)
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Langston Hughes, “Let America Be America Again,” a poem by Langston Hughes (4:44)
Rudyard Kipling, “We and They,” a poem. (The last stanza is of special relevance to cultivation of empathetic understanding of “others.”)
George McGovern, Democracy Now’s presentation on George McGovern (58:56)
William Jay Smith, The Cherokee Lottery: A Sequence of Poems (Northwestern University Press, Curbstone Books, 2000)
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Ronald Takaki, A Larger Memory: A History of Our Diversity, With Voices (Back Bay Books, 1998)
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Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (London and New York: Longman, 1980/1994) pdf by libcom.org
Chapter Two: America’s Diversity: Cultural and Ethnic Groups Featured in this BookDescription
URLs
“Columbus in America,” a documentary film by Paul Puglisi (2017)
“11 Lesser-known Facts about the Mayflower and Thanksgiving,” an article by Robert Stephens, November 15, 2023, UCF News, Stories of Impact, Innovation, Orlando, FL
Native American authors and thinkers’ words of wisdom: N. Scott Momaday, "Revisiting Sacred Ground," in The Man Made of Words, Chief Seattle’s advice, and Danial Quinn’s words from Ishmael (Bantam 1995) that sound like an eloquent expression of one aspect of Native Americans’ view
Sixteen Principles for Building a Sustainable and Harmonious World
Incident at Oglala, a documentary film, directed by Michael Apted and narrated by Robert Redford (1992)
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John Neihardt, Black Elk Speaks (Bison Books, 2014)
Luther Standing Bear, “What the Indian Means to America,” The Land of the Spotted Eagle (1933)
Samuel Gilbert, “Native Americans’ farming practices may help feed a warming world,” West River Eagle, December 10, 2021
Leslie Marmon Silko, Native American Novelists series, a documentary film (Films for the Humanities, 2003)
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“Lullaby,” a short story by Leslie Marmon Silko
“As It Was in the Beginning,” a short story by E. Pauline Johnson
Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha (Red Jacket), “1805 Oration of Red Jacket”
Chief Seattle (Quotes)
Native American Wisdom (quotes)
Sara Kettler, “5 Powerful and Influential Native American Women,” Biography newsletter, October 30, 2020
Sarah Winnemucca, Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims (University of Nevada Press, 1994, first published in 1883)
Boban Docevski, “Notable and Important Native American Warrior Women of the Nineteenth Century”
Paula Gunn Allen, “Pocahontas to Her English Husband, John Rolfe” from Skins and Bones (West End Press, 1988)
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Paula Gunn Allen, “Pocahontas to Her English Husband, John Rolfe”
A reading of “Pocahontas to Her English Husband, John Rolfe” (2:13)
Feminist Response: Pocahontas to Her English Husband, John Rolfe
“The True Story of Pocahontas Is More Complicated Than You Might Think” by Jackie Mansky; updated by Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian, February 20, 2024
Buffy Sainte-Marie (Documentary (48:03))
What Really Happened to Buffy Sainte-Marie (video: 7:02)
“Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” (2:56) with lyrics
Buffy Sainte-Marie: “Universal Soldier” (3:06)
Buffy St. Marie sings “Universal Soldier” and why she composed it. (4:22)
Nick Estes: “Indian Boarding Schools Were Part of ‘Horrific Genocidal Process’ Carried Out by the U.S.” (59:02)
Leonard Peltier, “I Am Everyone,” a poem (from Teaching Tolerance website)
Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan. “Biden Should Grant Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier Now”
“Leonard Peltier Has COVID; His Lawyer—an Ex-Federal Judge—Calls for Native Leader to Be Freed,” Democracy Now, January 31, 2022
Nick Estes: Leonard Peltier’s Continued Imprisonment Is an “Open Wound for Indian Country,” May 13, 2022 (59:02)
“Leonard Peltier to Be Freed After Half-Century in Prison: ‘A Day of Victory for Indigenous People’.” Democracy Now, January 21, 2025. On his last day as President, Joe Biden grants clemency to Leonard Peltier, (10 minutes, 49 to 59 minutes into the video)
U.S. Senator Theodore Frelinghuysen, “Do the obligations of justice change with the color of the skin,” (cited in Zinn, p. 138)
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Hanna-Jones, Nikole. The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (2019)
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“Is ‘The 1619 Project’ a racial reckoning the US needs?” (Aljazeera)
Robinson, Jeffrey. Documentary film, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022)
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Northup, Solomon. Twelve Years a Slave, 1853 slave memoir, made into a movie by the director, Steve McQueen in 2013
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Harriet: a movie about Harriet Tubman, directed by Kasi Lemmons (2019), starring Cynthia Erivo
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“Harriet Tubman: Her Life Explained in 14 minutes”
Harriet Tubman. Jacob Lew, the U.S. Treasury Secretary, announces that “Treasury Decides to Put Harriet Tubman on $20 Bill,” NPR, April 20, 2016
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad (1964) | Ruby Dee (49:40)
Harriet Tubman. Smithsonian Magazine article about Tubman: “Harriet Tubman Is Famous for Being an Abolitionist and Political Activist, But She Was Also a Naturalist,” March 10, 2022
“Harriet Tubman's Road to Freedom,” a short video, produced by CBS
Tulsa Race Massacre. “U.S. Marks 100th Anniversary of Tulsa Race Massacre, When White Mob Destroyed ‘Black Wall Street’.” Democracy Now special, May 28, 2021 (about 22 minutes, from 37:30 to 59:02 into the video)
Tulsa Massacre report by MSNBC. One of the many shocking facts in this video is that to come out of the internment-like camps, the black internees had to be vouched by a white person
Tulsa Burning, a documentary film about the 1921 Race Massacre, directed by Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams
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Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (also made into a movie)
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Students for a Democratic Society (1962-1969), Port Huron Statement of 1962
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Neshoba, a documentary film about the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi, directed by Micki Dickoff and Tony Pagano; screenplay by Dickoff (2008)
Mississippi Burning, a feature film about the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi, directed by Alan Parker (1988)
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“What to the Slave Is the 4th of July?”: James Earl Jones Reads Frederick Douglass’s Historic Speech of July 5. 1852
“Who We Are”: New Film Chronicles History of Racism in America Amid Growing Attack on Voting Rights
Latin Americans timeline
Hispanic activists
Juan Felipe Herrera, 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971-2007 (City Lights Publishers, 2007)
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Juan Felipe Herrera. Stephen Burt’s review of 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971-2007
Juan Felipe Herrera, “Juan Felipe Herrera, California Poet Laureate” (10 minutes)
Juan Felipe Herrera, Herrera reads "187 Reasons…" (7:43)
Juan Felipe Herrera, Border-Crosser with a Lamborghini Dream, poems (University of Arizona Press, 1998)
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Juan Felipe Herrera, City Lights’ overview of Border-Crosser
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, “Yo Soy Joaquin,” (1967), an epic poem associated with the Chicano Movement of the 1960s in the United States. Latin American Studies website provides access to that poem
Sandra Cisneros, “Woman Hollering Creek.” The link to this story and its comprehensive discussion are in Chapter Three (The American Dream)
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Sandra Cisneros, The House on Mango Street, a novel
Judith Cofer, The Line of the Sun, a novel (University of Georgia Press, 1991)
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Judith Cofer, Silent Dancing: A Partial Remembrance of a Puerto Rican Childhood (Arte Publico Press, 1990).
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Judith Cofer, The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry (University of Georgia, 1993). (Link in Ch. 5)
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“The Story of My Body” and “The Myth of the Latin Woman,” essays from The Latin Deli
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Judith Cofer, An Island Like You: Stories of the Barrio (Scholastic, 1995)
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Judith Cofer, Call Me Maria (Orchard, 2004)
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Judith Cofer, “The Purpose of Nuns,” a poem in The Latin Deli (Link in Ch.5)
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Judith Cofer, “The Life of an Echo,” a poem in The Latin Deli
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Haunani-Kay Trask, From a Native Daughter (Link in Ch. 4)
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Selena Velasco, “In Honor of Women’s History Month…31 Days of Revolutionary Women”
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Epeli Hau’ofa, Our Sea of Islands (University of Hawai’i Press, 1994)
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Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner, “Tell Them,” a poem (Link in Ch. 4)
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“Fall of the I-Hotel,” a documentary film. This trailer (4:19) is a good introduction:
“The I-Hotel: 8 Things You Probably Didn't Know About.” This short video (5:50) by Milantown Heritage Foundation gives a brief history of this important landmark of San Francisco.
“I-Hotel, 30 years later—Manilatown legacy honored” by Kantele Franko, San Francisco Chronicle, August 4, 2007 (updated on March 18, 2012)
The official homepage of I Hotel: history of the hotel in compressed details.
“In the Shadow of the I Hotel: Karen Tei Yamashita’s epic tale of San Francisco’s Asian American movement” by Lucas Iberico Lozada, Nation magazine, December 4, 2019. This article demonstrates how literature and politics become formidable allies for social justice and political change.
“Capturing the Spirit: Teaching Karen Tei Yamashita’s I Hotel" by Lai Ying Yu’s, Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies: Vol. 5, Article 7, 2014
“Little Manila: Filipinos in California's Heartland,” a documentary film.
“Honoring Asian American Women,” Carol Schwartz, Senior Content Developer, Gale Literature, March 25, 2021.
Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History (Simon and Schuster, 2016)
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Loni Ding, Producer of Ancestors in the Americas, Center for Educational Telecommunications
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“Maxine Hong Kingston,” University of California Television (UCTV); 59:31
Maxine Hong Kingston, Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book (Picador, 1990)
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Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoir of a Girlhood Among Ghosts (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 1977)
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Celeste Ng and Maxine Hong Kingston answer your questions about The Woman Warrior, PBS News Hour (7:50)
Maxine Hong Kingston, ed. Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (Koa Books, 2016)
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Maxine Hong Kingston, The Fifth Book of Peace (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2004)
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Grace Lee Boggs, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, a documentary film
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Eric Lichtblau, “Hate Crimes Against American Muslims Most Since Post-9/11 Era,” New York Times, September 17, 2016
Rebecca Clay, “Muslims in America, post 9/11,” American Psychological Association (September 2011, Vol 42, No. 8)
Wahiba Abu Ras, Report on Arab Americans in Brooklyn, New York, The Journal of Muslim Mental Health (Vol. 3, No. 2)
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Edward Said and Orientalism: A Simple Explanation (7:36)
Edward Said on Orientalism (40:02)
What is Orientalism? | Edward Said | Postcolonialism (10:59)
Global Empire—A Conversation with Edward Said (teleSUR English). 30:25
The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in the United States, a 60-minute documentary produced by Sut Jhally.
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Link to the documentary:
Link to the interview with the producer (42:22)
Steven Salaita, Anti-Arab Racism in the U.S.A: Where It Comes from and What it Means for Politics Today (cost-free electronic resource)
Rula Jebreal, Democracy Now on MSNBC’s Sole Palestinian Voice. Jebreal, Rula. Democracy Now on “MSNBC’s Sole Palestinian Voice Rula Jebreal Takes on Pro-Israeli Govt’s Bias at Network & in US Media,” July 23, 2014. (39:42)
Emily Wilder. Tasneem Nasrullah’s article about Wilder: “In College, She Was a Pro-Palestinian Activist. The AP Just Fired Her After a Conservative ‘Witch Hunt’.”
Noam Chomsky, “It Is Not a War. It Is Murder.” (Chomsky on Israel’s killings of Palestinians).
Norman Finkelstein. Patricia Cohen’s article: “Outspoken Political Scientist
Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States (London and New York: Longman, 1980/1994) pdf by United Diversity Library (628 pages)
Chapter 2 Movies
Description
URLs
“Columbus in America,” a documentary film by Paul Puglisi (2017)
“The New World” a feature film by Terrence Malick (2005)
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Leslie Marmon Silko, Native American Novelists series, a documentary film (Films for the Humanities, 2003)
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Pocahontas: Beyond the Myth. Smithsonian Channel’s documentary (2017)
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Jeffrey Robinson, Documentary film, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America (2022)
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Solomon Northrup, Twelve Years a Slave, 1853 slave memoir, made into a movie by the director, Steve McQueen in 2013
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Harriet: a movie about Harriet Tubman, directed by Kasi Lemmons (2019), starring Cynthia Erivo
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Tulsa Burning, a documentary film about the 1921 Race Massacre, directed by Stanley Nelson and Marco Williams
--
Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption (also made into a movie)
--
Micki Dickoff, Neshoba, a documentary film about the 1964 murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi, directed by Dickoff and Tony Pagano. Screenplay by Dickoff (2008)
Mississippi Burning, a feature film, directed by Alan Parker (1988)
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Ancestors in the Americas, produced by Loni Ding, Center for Educational Telecommunications
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Grace Lee Boggs, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, a documentary film
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The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in the United States, a 60-minute documentary produced by Sut Jhally
Chapter Three: The American DreamDescription
URLs
The poster, titled “California: Cornucopia of the World”
BBC World America: The American Dream (3:56)
Sarah Churchwell, “A Brief History of the American Dream,” The State of the American Dream,” The Catalyst (No. 21, Winter 2021)
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Jim Cullen, The American Dream: A Short History of an Idea that Shaped a Nation (Oxford University Press, 2004)
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Dan Rather, The American Dream: Stories from the Heart of Our Nation (HyperCollins, 2001)
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"Why the Gold Rush Is One of the Darkest Moments in US History” (11:26; Whitewashed)
“A Conversation with Barack Obama”: Obama talks about his book, The Audacity of Hope: (1:01:14)
"The American Dream & Other Fairy Tales": Disney Heiress Tackles Inequality and Family Legacy (18:36)
United States’ Declaration of Independence
Asher Ginsberg’s report from Palestine in 1891 that the land there was not without people
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I Have a Dream” (6:46)
Another link for Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
NPR transcript of this speech
Denzel Washington’s Motivational Speech to graduating students: “Fall Forward” (06:10)
James Baldwin’s Pin Drop Speech on African Americans and the American dream during a debate with William Buckley at Cambridge University (8:14)
James Baldwin vs William Buckley: A legendary debate from 1965 (58:42)
James Baldwin’s speech on the American dream: “Has the American Dream Been Achieved at the Expense of the American Negro?” (58:53)
James Baldwin's Speech on the American Dream (2:16)
Grace Lee Boggs, “The Fierce Urgency of Now,” Yes! Magazine, February 4, 2008
Samir Doshi, “Decolonizing Our Dreams”
Short Stories about the American Dream
Andrew Carnegie, “Wealth” (alternatively titled “The Gospel of Wealth”)
Another link: “The Gospel of Wealth” by Andrew Carnegie
Anzia Yezierska, “Soap and Water.” A digital version of this short story can be purchased from Simon and Shuster for $0.99.
Ruth Wisse, “Anzia Yezierska: An Archetype of American Jewish Failure” (6:41)
“Rain in a Dry Land,” a movie by Anne Makepeace, reviewed by “Point of View” of the Public Broadcasting System
“Rain in a Dry Land,” movie review by John Anderson, Variety, March 8, 2006
"America Is in the Heart: A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan (University of Washington Press; revised edition, 2014)
Read selections from this book according to their relevance to the chapter being studied. For this chapter, which relates to the American dream,
read Bulosan’s Chapter XLIX excerpt starting with “The next morning” and ending with the word “ever.” Also read the two-paragraph excerpt
from p. 189. It starts with “It is but fair to say” and ends with We are America!” And finally, read the 8-line excerpt from the novel’s p. 312.
It starts with “We who came to the United States as immigrants are Americans too.” It ends with the word “unencumbered.”
Accessing specific pages is very easy by choosing the “jump” option on the screen.
Permanent link to the entire book America Is in the Heart"
Carlos Romulo. “California Filipino,” Review of Carlos Bulosan’s America Is in the Heart,
New York Times, March 10, 1946, Section BR, p. 4
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Loren Eisley, “The Brown Wasps,” an essay in The Night Journey (Library of America, 2016)
F. Scott Fitzgerald, “Early Success,” The Crack-Up (New Directions, 1945)
F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up
The Great Gatsby, a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Scribner’s, 1925) Read only those parts of the novel that relate
to the Chapter’s topic, that is, the American dream. For example, Chapters 2 and 9 of the novel seem especially relevant.
The opening paragraphs of Chapter 2 show the disintegration of the American dream in general, whereas in Chapter 9, Fitzgerald describes
the tragic waste of Gatsby’s dream as a symbol of the disintegration of the American dream in general.
Chapter 2, pages 9-14. This part ends with “Wilson sat discreetly in another car.”
Chapter 9, page 93-99. The words of special importance start with “The morning of the funeral I went up to New York to see Meyer Wolfshiem”—page 99.
Arthur Miller, Death of a Salesman (Viking Press, 1958)
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Christopher Bigsby, “The Poet: Chronicler of the Age,” National Endowment for the Humanities website
“Arthur Miller,” Jefferson Lecture 2001
John Steinbeck, “Paradox and Dream,” America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, eds.
Susan Shillinglaw and Jackson Benson (Viking Penguin, 2002)
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A Raisin in the Sun (2008) The Takers and the Taken Scene (4:27)
A Raisin in the Sun, Epic Scene (2008 movie) 6:15
Democracy Now’s interview of August 6, 2013, with the young white woman Laura Gottesdiener, who wrote A Dream Foreclosed: Black America and the Fight for a Place to Call Home
A Raisin in the Sun (2008) The Takers and the Taken Scene (4:27)
A Raisin in the Sun, Epic Scene (2008 movie) 6:15
An African-American family struggles with poverty, racism, and inner conflict as they strive for a better way of life. Based on the play by Lorraine Hansberry. (trailer: 2:38)
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, a book of nonfiction by Barack Obama (Crown, 2006)
Chomsky's video lecture made into a documentary film by Gravitas Documentaries (2023) 1:12:49
Noam Chomsky, Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power (Seven Stories Press, 2017)
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Review of Chomsky’s book by Amazon editors concisely captures the essential themes:
17-page pdf that is the script of “Requiem for the American Dream” video featuring Noam Chomsky.
"American Dream: A Union Nightmare,” Kenneth Turan’s review of Barbara Kopple’s documentary film “American Dream.”
Junaid Ahmad, “Zohran or Zion: The Future of the World Order,” Middle East Monitor, June 27, 2025
Zohran Mamdani on his mission in his campaign speech in the Primary to elect New York’s Mayor
Zohran Mamdani, “We Can Build a New Kind of Politics.” Interview with Leila Fadel of NPR, July 1, 2025 (with script) (36:16)
Zohran Mamdani: Rachel Scott and Oren Oppenheim’s report on ABC News
The House on the Mango Street, a novel by Sandra Cisneros
"The Woman Hollering Creek", a short story by Sandra Cisneros
Dream Variations, a poem by Langston Hughes
The Negro Speaks of Rivers, a poem by Langston Hughes
I, Too, a poem by Langston Hughes
Let America Be America Again, a poem by Langston Hughes (4:44)
Revival of Poetry in America, a review article by Cecil Brown, introducing Langston Hughes’ poem “Let America Be America”
Hughes, Langston. Langston Hughes’ Poems: “Dreams,” “As I Grew Older,” “Mother to Son,” April Rain Song,” “Dream Deferred,” “Democracy,” “Cross,” “I, Too,” “Suicide’s Note,” and “The Negro Mother.”
"The Boy Who Painted Christ Black" by John Henrik Clarke; lecturer: Betty Elsa Jacob (28:02)
America's Dream—The Boy Who Painted Christ Black (28:58)
Border-crosser with a Lamborghini Dream: Poems by Juan Felipe Herrera
If the above tinyurl does not work, use the following link
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn, PDF of the entire book
Viet Thanh Nguyen. KQED’s Forum: “San Jose Native Viet Thanh Nguyen Wins Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Sympathizer.” Early in this discussion, Nguyen mentions the American dream and the American nightmare
Chapter 3 Movies
Description
URLs
"Legacy of a Dream" (a short documentary film on Dr. Martin Luther King narrated by James Earl Jones): 28:30 minutes
“A powerful and motivating film, Legacy of a Dream is an accurate account of Marin Luther King’s nonviolent Civil Rights Movement. The film summarizes Martin Luther King Jr's public life and the changes his leadership brought.” (16mm Educational Films)
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Rain in a Dry Land, a film written, produced, and directed by Anne Makepeace, Bullfrog Films (82 minutes). This feature film chronicles the experiences of two Bantu refugees who are brought from Kenya to the United States by relief organizations. This light and entertaining movie shows the positive view of the American dream.
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“American Dream,” produced and directed by Barbara Kopple (102 minutes). A documentary film that chronicles events to show how the American dream has bypassed so many Americans. (A serious discussion of the topic).
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“House of Sand and Fog,” directed by Vadim Perelman (2003)
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El Norte (English: The North), directed by Gregory Nava, screenplay by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas (1983) 2 hr 21 m
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“One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern,” directed by Stephen Vittoria (2005).
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Democracy Now’s presentation on George McGovern (58:56)
A Raisin in the Sun, film adaptation of Lorraine Hansberry’s play of the same title, directed by Bill Duke, starring Danny Glover and Esther Rolle (1989) 2:52:38
America's Dream 1996 with Danny Glover, Wesley Snipes, Lorraine Toussaint (1:41:40)
Avalon, Written and directed by Barry Levinson, 128 mins.
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Requiem for the American dream by Noam Chomsky (1:12:49)
Chapter Four: The Colonization of America and Parts of Oceania (Pacific Islands)Description
URLs
Native American History Timeline
“Columbus in America,” a documentary film by Paul Puglisi (2017)
“11 Lesser-known Facts about the Mayflower and Thanksgiving,” an article by Robert Stephens, November 15, 2023, UCF News, Stories of Impact, Innovation, Orlando, FL
The American Progress, a painting by John Gast (from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository)
A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn (HarperCollins, 2003)
"Why the Gold Rush Is One of the Darkest Moments in US History” (11:26; Whitewashed)
John Steinbeck, America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, eds.
Susan Shillinglaw and Jackson Benson (Viking/Penguin, 2002).
Pages 325-326 mention the scalping of Native Americans by bounty hunters.
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History of Native California (12:57)
Excerpt (pages 3-7) on Native American History
The "Indian Problem" (12:31)
Westward Expansion: Crash Course US History #24 by John Green (12:43)
Phillips, Charles. “Wounded Knee Massacre: United States versus the Plains Indians” on December 29, 1890, Historynet, June 12, 2006; also American History, December, 2005, 40(5) pp. 16–68.
America's Great Indian Nations—full length documentary (54:34)
1805 Oration of Red Jacket (Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha)
Link to the complete book, An Account of Sa-Go-Ye-Wat-Ha or The Red Jacket and His People (1750-1830) by J. Niles Hubbard (Albany, New York: Joel Munsell’s Sons, 1886), 394 pages
“Teaching the Hard History of Indigenous Slavery,” a 12-minute film made by Teaching Tolerance, with an accompanying article.
Diseases brought by Europeans and wars killed close to 60 million Natives during the
first 100 years from the start of colonization in 1492. Study in Quaternary Science Reviews, Volume 207, March 2019, Pages 13-36
“How Colonization’s Death Toll May Have Affected Earth’s Climate: Did the Mass Death of Indigenous Americans Cool Down the Planet?” by Sarah Pruitt, History.com
“Death by Civilization” by Mary Annette Pember, The Atlantic, March 8, 2019
“How the US Stole Thousands of Native American Children” (13:41)
Article: “How the US Stole Thousands of Native American Children,” Vox, October 14, 2019, by Ranjani Chakraborty
“American Indian Boarding Schools: A Small US Town Digs for the Truth,” a report by Foreign Correspondent. 29:53
“Indian Boarding School: The Runaways,” poem by Louise Erdrich from Original Fire: Selected and New Poems (HarperCollins, 2003)
“Indian Boarding School: The Runaways” by Louise Erdrich; Andrew Spacey’s analysis of the poem, Owlcation, September 16, 2020
“The Lasting Impact of Native American Residential Schools” by Cheyenne Bearfoot, KQED, December 1, 2021
“There Are No Words,” a poem by Reohad Randall about the Indian boarding schools’ atrocities
“Stolen Children: Residential School Survivors Speak Out” (18:35)
Sara Kettler, Famous Native American Women
Boban Docevski, Notable Important Native American Warrior Women of the Nineteenth Century
“The True Story of Pocahontas Is More Complicated Than You Might Think” by Jackie Mansky; updated by Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian, February 20, 2024
William Jay Smith, The Cherokee Lottery: A Sequence of Poems (Northwestern University Press, Curbstone Books, 2000)
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“Wounded Knee” by history.com editors
“I am everyone,” poem by Leonard Peltier
Democracy Now’s interviews with the Native American activist Leonard Peltier (links below) give a lot of important information about his incarceration, including some of his poems. (53:01)
Exclusive: Leonard Peltier Speaks Out from Prison on Denial of Medical Care, Bid for Clemency (58:56)
“So Live Your Life” by Chief Tecumseh 2:50 Read by Shane Morris-Chief Tecumseh was a great Native American
warrior chief who was the leader of a large tribal confederacy which opposed the United States during Tecumseh's War.
Although his efforts to unite Native Americans ended with his death in the War of 1812, he became an iconic folk
hero in American, Indigenous, and Canadian history.
Native American Misrepresentation in Films (37:55)
“Sociological Images”: In her blog, Lisa Wade, Professor of Sociology, discusses the manufactured images of Native Americans.
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The Native American actor Sacheen Littlefeather conveys Brando’s regrets for not accepting the Award.
Revisiting Sacheen Littlefeather’s Shocking Appearance at the 1973 Oscars, by Michael Schulman, The New Yorker, September 27, 2022. The Academy formally apologized for how Littlefeather was treated after she declined the Best Actor award on behalf of Marlon Brando.
On the Dick Cavett Show, Brando talks about the reasons for his not accepting the Oscar Award
These Native American Proverbs Are Life Changing: (5:20)
Native American Proverbs (5:11)
“Indivisible: African-Native American Lives in the Americas”
“American Indian Activism and the Siege of Wounded Knee” by Jason Pierce, Bill of Rights Institute
Native Americans resist desecration of their sacred earth by the North Dakota Exxon-Mobil Pipeline
The Native historian LaDonna Brave Bull Allard’s role in leading the 2016 Anti-DAPL Uprising
“Lullaby,” a short story by Leslie Marmon Silko
“As It Was in the Beginning,” a short story by E. Pauline Johnson
Lakota Historian Nick Estes on Thanksgiving, Settler Colonialism & Continuing Indigenous Resistance, Democracy Now, November 28, 2024 (11:48)
Zinn’s Chapter 7: As Long as Grass Grows or Water Runs (p. 128) bottom of the page beginning with
“The leading books on the Jacksonian period, written by respected…” and page 146.
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Zinn’s Chapter 8: We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God (Page 147)
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Zinn’s Chapter 12: The Empire and the People (Page 304) bottom of the page beginning with…
“The report termed the request for coaling or naval stations…”—page 310 mid-way ending with “And yet, there was
with all this the consciousness of a brutal war, fought against colored people, a counterpart of the violence
committed against black people in the United States.” (Page 312) beginning with “Back home, while the
war against the Filipinos was going on, a group of Massachusetts Negroes addressed a message to President McKinley…”—ending on Page 313
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Zinn’s Chapter 13: The Socialist Challenge (Page 314–Page 316), second-to-last
paragraph ending with “True, the very big businesses were not hurt, but profits after 1907 were not
as high as capitalists wanted, industry was not expanding as fast as it might, and industrialists
began to look for ways to cut costs.”
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Pocahontas to Her English Husband, John Rolfe, a poem by Paula Gunn Allen
“Giving Blood,” a poem by Sherman Alexie
“The Only Traffic Signal on the Reservation Doesn’t Flash Red Anymore,” a short story by Sherman Alexie
“This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona,” a short story by Sherman Alexie
A helpful comment on “This Is What It Means”:
“Remembering the Native American Occupation of Alcatraz” by Ericka Cruz Guevarra, Alice Woelfle, Kyana Moghadam, Alan Montecillo
“Longest Walk emphasizes Native American concerns,” The Final Call, by Askia Muhammad. Last updated: July 22, 2008
“Indians of All Tribes to Commemorate the 52nd Anniversary of the Occupation of Alcatraz Island on Saturday,” dated November 17, 2021, by Levi Rickert
From A Native Daughter, a book of nonfiction by Haunani-Kay Trask. PDF of a part of the book
“Inside USA—The Other Hawai’i,” part 1 (11:42 mins)
“Inside USA—The Other Hawai’i,” part 2 (11 mins)
“Hawai’i Statehood.” PBS Learning Media video (3:11)
“Avi Lewis visits the people behind the native movement for self-determination in Hawaii. Well over 200 years
old the movement has recently been gaining in strength. Archive footage courtesy of www.namaka.com.”
Philip Thomas’s review of Ridley Scott’s movie, “1492–Conquest of Paradise” (1992), 150 minutes
Tell Them, a poem by Kathy Jetnil-Kijjiner
“I Am Joaquin,” poem by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales
A Daily Joy to Be Alive, a poem by Jimmy Santiago Baca (Pages 3-4)
Poema para los Californios Muertos, a poem by Lorna Dee Cervantes
Boricua Artist Lah Tere reads from Oscar Lopez Rivera's book, "Between Torture and Resistance" (7:03)
P-SPAN #713-B Oscar Lopez Rivera, part 2 (16:39)
P-SPAN #713 Oscar Lopez Rivera Lecture, at Berkeley City College (57:56)
Oscar Lopez Rivera: Resistance and Resilience (57:23)
PM Press “Oscar Lopez Rivera” (blog)
Chapter 4 Movies
Description
URLs
“Teaching the Hard History of Indigenous Slavery,” a 12-minute film made by Teaching Tolerance, with an accompanying article
“Columbus in America,” a documentary film by Paul Puglisi (2017)
We Shall Remain: American Experience, PBS mini-series (2009). Directed by Chris Eyre.
Five 90-minute documentaries spanning 300 years tell the story in U. S. history from the Native American perspective.
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The New World (2005), directed by Terrence Malick. A feature film
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Dead Man directed by Jim Jarmusch
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Leslie M. Silko: This video is a part of the Native American Novelists series produced by
Films for the Humanities and Sciences.
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Louise Erdrich and Michael Dorris, Bill Moyers' series "A World of Ideas" (documentary)
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N. Scott Momaday in the same series as noted above
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Smoke Signals, a feature film based on Sherman Alexie's writings
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Dances with Wolves, a feature film by Kevin Costner
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Geronimo: An American Legend directed by Walter Hill
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Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, directed by Yves Simoneau (was shown on HBO in 2007)
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Incident at Oglala (about Leonard Peltier's long incarceration) narrated by Robert Redford
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The following documentaries have been shown at annual American Indian Film Festivals.
To find out about their availability for viewing, check their website (www.aifisf.com).
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"Trudell," directed by Heather Rae, Visionmaker Video, nominated for the best documentary in 2005 (88 mins). This film chronicles the life and work of John Trudell, a Native American activist
a Native American activist
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"Half of Anything," directed by Jonathan Tomhave. This documentary with Sherman Alexie,
John Trudell, Christine Entrekin, and Deborah Bassett answers the question: ""What is a REAL Indian?""
(Native Voices, Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA) (25 minutes)
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"Scrubbed White," directed by Frank Mitchell and Anna Geyer (30 mins)
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Living in two worlds, the character faces the barriers of preconceived and stereotypical
views of Native Americans in contemporary Western society, while struggling for his place,
being an educated man of color in the United States. The main character's
plight can be compared to that of other minorities in America today.
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"Smoke Signals," "Dances with Wolves," "Incident at Oglala" and “The New World” may
be easily available. The rest may involve some searching. To honor the National Native American Heritage Month in November, 2020,
the American Indian Film Festival 45’s showings (November 6-14) consisted of many films, such
as “Rez Dogs,” “Monkey Beach,” etc., that were screened virtually because of COVID-19 pandemic.
The festival’s complete list of movies can be obtained from American Indian Film Institute,
San Francisco
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“Hawai’i the Stolen Paradise” (53 minutes)
“Noho Hewa, An Indigenous Struggle Part 1” (47:08)
“Noho Hewa, An Indigenous Struggle Part 2” (47:09)
“1492–Conquest of Paradise,” directed by Ridley Scott (1992), 150 mins
Chapter Five: Immigration: Separation from Home and Search for a New HomeDescription
URLs
Latin Americans: History Timeline of Important Dates
Asian American History Timeline of Important Dates
Ancestors in the Americas: the first in-depth television series on the legacy of early Asian immigrants
Image of the Statue of Liberty
“Searching for the Woman Who Saved My Immigrant Family from Homelessness” by Shaheen Pasha, Pocket, February 26, 2018
“The New Colossus,” a poem by Emma Lazarus
“Unguarded Gates,” a poem by Thomas Aldrich
“Ellis Island,” a poem by Joseph Bruchac
“Decolonizing Our Dreams” by Samir Doshi, Yes! August 10, 2021
“Immigrants,” a poem by Pat Mora
Richard Rodriguez, “The Terrible Price of Becoming American,” San Francisco Examiner, September 28, 1998
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John Steinbeck, America and Americans and Selected Nonfiction, eds. Susan Shillinglaw and Jackson Benson (Viking/Penguin, 2002)
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“The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica,” a poem from The Latin Deli: Prose and Poetry by Judith Cofer (University of Georgia, 1993) (3:06)
A comment on “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” with the poem’s text
A lecture on “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica” (14:58)
“El Olvido,” a poem from Terms of Survival by Judith Cofer (Arte Publico Press, 1987)
“Legal Alien,” a poem by Pat Mora
“Leaving California for Ireland,” a poem by Carolyn Flynn, New to North America: Writing by U.S. Immigrants, Their Children and Grandchildren. ed. Abby Bogomolny (Burning Bush Publications, 2007)
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Global Woman: Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy, eds. Barbara Ehrenreich and Arlie Hochschild (Holt Paperbacks, 2004)
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“Third World Women Sacrifice in Their Quest for a Better Life,” Kathy Briccetti’s review of Global Woman, “San Francisco Chronicle,” page M-6, January 5, 2003
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The Soul of an Immigrant, a book of nonfiction by Constantine M. Panunzio Read the part that is about the author’s arrival
in the U.S. from Italy as a seaman. He joined a labor pool managed by Italian American middlemen between the American employers and
immigrants who did not speak English. Panunzio wrote extensively about the social conditions of immigrants in the United States.
America Is in the Heart: A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan
Read sections from this book according to their relevance to the chapter being studied. For this chapter, which relates to immigration, read the following from Bulosan’s book: (a) “Introduction” to the book by Carey McWilliams. It is not in the free digital edition of Bulosan’s book, but it is easily available in libraries. I could not find a link for it. If you cannot find it, you still will know about his important points that I have included in my introduction to this chapter. (b) Excerpt from Bulosan’s Chapter XXI, starting with “And when the Independence of the Philippines was proclaimed on July 4, 1946” and ending with “at the top of the list.” (c) Two-paragraph excerpt from Bulosan’s Chapter xxi. It starts with “A case in point” and ends with “without them.” (d) Ch. XXXIII: 9-line excerpt, starting with “When my brother Macario came” and ending with “worldwide significance.” (e) Ch. XXXVII. It starts with “I was afraid to leave the hospital.” It ends with “they had given up.” (f) Ch. XXXVIII. Start with “This was the world into which I was thrown.” End with “all the words that seized my mind.” (g) Same chapter. Excerpt starting with “I felt that I was nearing the end” and ending with “a culture based on property.” (h) Ch. XLVIII. It starts with “A week after the fall of Bataan” and ends with “I walked to my hotel filled with great loneliness.” Accessing specific pages is very easy by choosing the “jump” option on the screen. Permanent link to the entire book: "Tell Me How It Ends" by Valeria Luiselli The book is available in most public libraries as an e-book via hoopla. The print version of this book is also available in most libraries.”
John Powers’ review of Luiselli’s book on NPR (also a 5-minute listen)
Kathleen Rooney’s review of Tell Me How It Ends in The Chicago Tribune
Columbia University, New York: Freedom and Citizenship, Center for American Studies, review by Ian Cruz
The Child of Exile by Carolina Hospital (1:01:02)
U.S.-backed Haitian coup in 2004
“Democracy Now” interview with Honduras’ democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya, who was ousted by Honduras’ military through U.S. government’s intervention
“The War in Iraq Was Not a Blunder or a Mistake. It Was a Crime,” an article by Owen Jones in The Guardian
“The Country Without a Post Office,” a poem by Agha Shahid Ali
Agha Shahid Ali, “Dear Shahid,” The Prose Poem: An International Journal (Volume 5), 1996
U.S. Government Confirms Human Rights Atrocities in Kashmir
“The United Nations and the Neglected Conflict of Kashmir” by Dr. Ghulam Nabi Fai
Srikanth, Rajini. The World Next Door: South Asian American Literature and the Idea of America (Temple University Press, 2004)
Reviews of The World Next Door
Shailja Patel. Migritude, a play (Kaya Press, 2008)
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Migritude’s author Shailja Patel in KQED’s program SPARK (7:35)
Amitava Kumar. Passport Photos (University of California Press, 2000)
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Raza Mir’s review of Amitava Kumar’s Passport Photos. Reviews: American Journal of Islam and Society, 17 (2), 123-126 (Summer 2000)
Bapsi Sidhwa. “Defend Yourself Against Me,” a short story. And the World Changed: Contemporary Stories by Pakistani Women, ed. Muneeza Shamsie (The Feminist Press at The City University of New York, 2008)
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Chitra Divakaruni. Leaving Yuba City: New and Selected Poems (Doubleday, 1997)
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Jhumpa Lahiri. The Namesake (Houghton Mifflin, 2003)
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Wajahat Ali. Go Back to Where You Came from and Other Helpful Recommendations on How to Become American (Norton 2022)
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Jenny Bhatt. “Wajahat Ali's 'Go Back to Where You Came From' is biting and funny and full of heart,” NPR, January 25, 2022
“Show and Tell,” a short story by Andrew Lam, originally appeared in Crab Orchard Review
“We Are Here Because You Are There”: Viet Thanh Nguyen explains how U.S. foreign policy creates refugees,” Democracy Now, March 22, 2021
“The Displaced”: Refugee Writers Ariel Dorfman & Viet Thanh Nguyen on Migration, US Wars & Resistance. (The two authors offer little-known facts and relevant history behind immigration): (Democracy Now, May 4, 2018) 59:02
Nguyen. Viet Thanh. KQED’s Forum: “San Jose Native Viet Thanh Nguyen Wins Pulitzer Prize for his novel The Sympathizer”
“From refugee to Pulitzer-winning novelist,” Christiane Amanpour interviews Viet Nguyen on CNN (11:08)
Jose Antonio Vargas. Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen (William Morrow, 2018)
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Juan Felipe Herrera, 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971-2007 (City Lights Publishers, 2007)
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Juan Felipe Herrera. Stephen Burt’s review of 187 Reasons Mexicanos Can’t Cross the Border: Undocuments 1971-2007
Juan Felipe Herrera, “Juan Felipe Herrera, California Poet laureate” (10 minutes)
Juan Felipe Herrera, Herrera reads "187 Reasons…" (7:43)
Juan Felipe Herrera, Border-Crosser with a Lamborghini Dream, poems (University of Arizona Press, 1998)
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Juan Felipe Herrera, City Lights’ overview of Border-Crosser
Eva Hoffman. “Between Memory and History: A Writer’s Voice.” Conversations with History Series, presented by the Institute of International Studies, University of California, Berkeley. (54:44)
Eva Hoffman, Lost in Translation: Life in a New Language, autobiography (an excerpt)
Isabel Allende on Immigration, Loss and Her New Novel | Amanpour and Company (18:09) PBS
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. For an introduction to the novel’s plot and characters, Wikipedia is a good source, but nothing can replace the experience of reading the novel.
Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir (2021), a documentary film, directed by James Redford (2:14)
The Joy Luck Club, a feature film directed by Wayne Wang (1993); 2 hours 19 mins
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Amy Tan Reflects on 30 Years Since The Joy Luck Club: Writing Fiction That's Truer Than Memoir
From the book review archives. Title of the review article: “The Joy Luck Club,” by Amy Tan
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan Book Summary Narration by Bidita Rahman (17:31)
Exclusive Interview with The Joy Luck Club's author, Amy Tan (19:54)
Orville Schell. “Your Mother Is in Your Bones,” The New York Times, March 19, 1989
“Reflections on Exile,” an essay by Edward Said. You can access Said’s essay via EBSCO by using your institutional or public library
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R. Radhakrishnan, “Is the Ethnic ‘Authentic’ in the Diaspora?” You can access this essay via EBSCO by using your institutional or public library
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“The Nowhere Man,” an essay by Pico Iyer
Chapter 5 Movies
Description
URLs
"Documented" by Jose Antonio Vargas, (a documentary on the topic of immigration)
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"A Day Without a Mexican", a feature film directed by Sergio Arau (2004) 1:35:38
La Ciudad (The City), directed by David Riker (1998)
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El Norte (English: The North), directed by Gregory Nava, screenplay by Gregory Nava and Anna Thomas (1983) 2 h 21m
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The House of Sand and Fog, directed by Vadim Perelman (2003) 2h 6m
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Avalon, directed by Barry Levinson
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The Joy Luck Club, directed by Wayne Wang
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The Namesake, directed by Mira Nair
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"Sin Nombre" (English: Nameless), directed by Cary Fukunaga (2009) 1hr 36 m
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"Brother Towns/Pueblos Hermanos" directed by Charles Thompson and Michael Davey
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Bill Moyers' “A World of Ideas” documentary series covers many authors, such as Carlos Fuentes, Maxine Hong Kingston, Bharati Mukherjee, and Richard Rodriguez
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The Visitor, written and directed by Tom McCarthy (104 mins.)
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Amreeka, directed by Cherien Dabis (96 mins.)
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Chapter Six: Prejudice and Racial StereotypesDescription
URLs
Ku Klux Klansman
Jim crow
This image of Mr. Prejudice is from Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository. File:1941-2-1-cx.jpg!Large.jpg
Mr. Prejudice was painted by Horace Pippin in 1943, depicting a personal view of race relations in the United States.
African American History Timeline 1619-2008
“As It Was in the Beginning,” a short story by E. Pauline Johnson (also included in Chapter Four). It is a story of prejudice against Native Americans and the victim’s retaliation in this case.
“Lullaby,” a short story by Leslie Marmon Silko. (Also included in Chapters 2 and 9). It is one of the best stories ever told on the topic of prejudice-driven erasure of Native American culture and way of life.
“Now That the Buffalo’s Gone” by Buffy Sainte-Marie (2:56) with lyrics
Leonard Peltier, “I Am Everyone,” a poem (from Teaching Tolerance website)
Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan. “Biden Should Grant Executive Clemency to Leonard Peltier Now”
“Leonard Peltier Has COVID; His Lawyer—an Ex-Federal Judge—Calls for Native Leader to Be Freed,” Democracy Now, January 31, 2022
Nick Estes: Leonard Peltier’s Continued Imprisonment Is an “Open Wound for Indian Country,” Democracy Now, May 13, 2022 (59:02)
“Exterminate All the Brutes: Filmmaker Raoul Peck Explores Colonialism and Origins of White Supremacy,” Democracy Now, May 4, 2021 (38:06)
Brief descriptions of the four parts of “Exterminate All the Brutes”
Sven Lindqvist. Exterminate All the Brutes (Granta Books, 2018)
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Frederick Douglas’ 4th of July speech read by James Earl Jones (7:44)
“A Lecture on John Brown Delivered at Harper’s Ferry and Sundry Other Places by Frederick Douglass”
Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, Written by Himself, ed. David Blight (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003)
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History of Slavery in California
ACLU (August 12, 2021): Introducing Gold Chains: A Podcast About the Hidden History of Slavery in California (24:58)
ACLU (August 12, 2021): California Fugitive State Law (24:58)
ACLU (February 24, 2022): Black Testimony Matters (25:06)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). History of lynching in America
Billie Holiday, “Strange Fruit,” lyrics by Abel Meeropol
“The Origin of Strange Fruit,” (8:05)
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (2021), directed by Lee Daniels, starring Andra Day, Trevante Rhodes (2:06:20). Full Movie.
The Story of Billie Holiday & Strange Fruit | United States vs. Billie Holliday | Hulu Original (8:16) Preview
Review of “United States v Billie Holiday” (13:30)
“Why we’re drawn to Billie Holiday’s story,” by Lizz Bolaji, PBS News Hour, February 24, 2021
“In a new Billie Holiday documentary [by James Erskine], friends fill in the missing notes,” by Joshua Barajas, PBS News Hour, December 16, 2020
W. E. B. Du Bois, The Suppression of the African Slave Trade to the United States of America, 1638-1870 (Alpha Editions, 2020)
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“On Being Crazy,” a short story by W.E.B. Du Bois (1907)
"America, it is not the Negro problem, it is your problem!" James Baldwin Speaks! December 1964 (50:5)
Living and Growing in a White World by James Baldwin (31:33)
James Baldwin on the Black Experience in America (8:04)
Movie review of “Malcolm X” by Vincent Canby
“Who Killed Malcolm X? Two [Innocent] Men Are Exonerated [after serving a long sentence] as Manhattan DA
Reveals Details of FBI Coverup,” Democracy Now’s interview about the Netflix documentary about Malcolm X’s assassination (19:02)
Democracy Now’s description of the content: “We speak with independent researcher Abdur-Rahman Muhammad, whose work is featured in the Netflix documentary ‘Who Killed Malcolm X? and helped ignite widespread public support for two men falsely convicted of assassinating the civil rights activist in 1965. Muhammad was in the court room this week a judge exonerated 83-year-old Muhammad Aziz and the late Khalil Islam due to revelations uncovered by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office and the Innocence Project that key evidence was withheld at the trial. Aziz has maintained his innocence and addressed the court after he finally received an official apology, saying his false conviction was ‘the result of a process that was corrupt to its core.’ Muhammad says being in the courtroom was ‘surreal.’ ‘To watch the government admit that these brothers were sent to prison for a crime they didn’t commit was stunning’.” The Untold Story of Malcolm X, Amanpour and Company (17:44) PBS
Michael Dyson, I May Not Get There With You: The True Martin Luther King, Jr. (Simon and Schuster, 2000)
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The FBI vs. Martin Luther King: Inside J. Edgar Hoover's "Suicide Letter" to Civil Rights Leader (Democracy Now: 11:20)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Links to his famous speeches are in the Readings and Viewings for chapters 3, 6, 8, and 9.
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“Who We Are”: New Film Chronicles History of Racism in America Amid Growing Attack on Voting Rights, Democracy Now, 25:32
Democracy Now’s interview with attorney Jeffrey Robinson and the producer directors of the documentary Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America
“Who We Are,” a documentary that explores racism in America. In Honor of Black History Month February 2022 (6:14)
“The Case for Leaving America to Escape Racism: As a Black woman, I want freedom from oppression. So I’m finally plotting my exit.” Perspective by DeNeen L. Brown, Reporter, Washington Post, September 26, 2022
The New York Times Presents the 1619 Project (2:11:46)
Nikole Hannah-Jones | The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story (1:06:28)
“How ‘The 1619 Project’ underscores connection between slavery and modern America” (6:53) PBS Newshour, interview by Amna Nawaz
Is ‘The 1619 Project’ a racial reckoning the US needs? | (Aljazeera)
Breaking Down the 1619 Project & History of Slavery in America with Nikole Hannah-Jones (32:41)
Cornel West, Race Matters. PDF of the entire book that is crucial to understanding the complexity of race-related issues.
Race Matters: America in Crisis, A PBS News Hour Special (56:44)
Harry Belafonte Documentary (Hollywood Walk of Fame (31:01)
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: New Documents Reveal Involvement of FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover (Democracy Now) 10:58
Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me (Spiegel & Grau, 2015) Coates
titled his book after Richard Wright’s poem of the same title.
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Democracy Now’s Amy Goodman interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates Part 1: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Being Black in America (6:10)
Part 2: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Being Black in America (13:18)
Part 3: Ta-Nehisi Coates on Being Black in America (20:19)
Democracy Now interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates: Reparations Are Not Just About Slavery But Also Centuries of Theft & Racial Terror (33:03)
Democracy Now interviews Ta-Nehisi Coates on His Debut Novel The Water Dancer, Slavery & Reparations (30:50)
Why is white supremacy growing in the United States? | The Bottom Line (24:15)
What happened at Charlottesville: Looking back on the rally that ended in death, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 10, 2018
Michelle Alexander, The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
(The New Press, Anniversary edition, 2020)
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An Introduction to Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow—A Macat Sociology Analysis (3:30)
Michelle Alexander: “Locked Out of the American Dream” interview with Bill Moyer (35:25)
On Eve of MLK Day, Michelle Alexander & Randall Robinson on the Mass Incarceration of Black America
Can’t breathe (official) 4:46. Song by H.E.R about the murder of Eric Garner by a New York police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, in a chokehold strangulation
Democracy Now’s coverage of the jury trial in George Floyd’s murder by a police officer. The report also includes coverage about an African American female police officer, Cariol Horne, who was fired for intervening to stop use of excessive force by a fellow police officer in another case. “George Floyd, Cariol Horne, and the Duty to Intervene” (5:44)
Racist backlash to the jury’s rare and maybe first-ever verdict of guilty in the murder case of George Floyd by a police officer
Bear Witness, Take Action (1:39:05) Streamed live on Jun 13, 2020
Resist: Meet the Activists Disrupting Los Angeles’ Unjust Justice System / part 1 of 12 (9:49)
Resist, Part 2 (7:35)
“Accused Killers of Ahmaud Arbery Go on Trial in 2020 Shooting Death of Unarmed Black Georgia Jogger” by Jeff Truesdell, People, October 18, 2021
Judge tears into Ahmaud Arbery killers, gives them life in prison (26:25)
Toni Morrison on racism in America, The Guardian, April 20, 2015
Tim Wise: Racism, Privilege and Denial: Healing White America's Blindspots, Part 1 of 2 (1:39:10)
Tim Wise: Racism, Privilege and Denial: Healing White America's Blindspots, Part 2 of 2
Tim Wise: Does White America Finally Realize Racism is Real? (6:05)
“The Second”: Carol Anderson on the Racist Roots of the Constitutional Right to Bear Arms (41:07)
“The Most Intense Heartfelt Description of Racism I Ever Filmed” (25:58), created by Academy Award winning filmmaker David Hoffman (June 17, 2020)
A black woman’s Heart-Wrenching Stories Growing Up In 1950s Virginia (31:19) produced by David Hoffman
Actor Kerry Washington reads an excerpt from Sojourner Truth’s “And ain’t I a woman.” (2:59)
Actor Viggo Mortenson reads from that same book Zinn’s recording of a sixteenth-century Iberian’s account of the Spaniards’ cruelty to the natives. (This segment starts at 44 minutes out of total 58:56 minutes of the video)
History of Lynching in America (NAACP)
Dry September, a short story by William Faulkner
Richard Wright, “Between the World and Me,” a poem
Richard Wright, a reading of “The Library Card” (9:42)
Richard Wright,“The Library Card,” from the author’s memoirs Black Boy (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2020;
first published in 1945)
David A. King, “The Library Card” episode in Richard Wright’s Black Boy, The Georgia Bulletin, March 19, 2021
Ernest Gaines, “The Sky Is Gray,” Bloodline (Vintage, 1997) Watch the film adaptation of this story by using link kanopy.com
Langston Hughes’ poem of stubborn optimism about the promise, reality, and potential of America: “Let America Be America Again” (4:48)
“Harlem,” a poem by Langston Hughes
“Mother to Son,” a poem by Langston Hughes
“Island,” a poem by Langston Hughes
Langston Hughes' poem “Freedom” (Read by Cilléin Mc Evoy) 1:08
Langston Hughes and the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Literature 215 (11:31)
Encyclopedia.com provides free access to its comprehensive article on Ernest Gaines’ classic short story, “The Sky is Gray”
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: "We Are 99.9 % the Same" | Amanpour and Company (PBS) 17:28
CNN’s Laura Coates Exposes the Underbelly of the Justice System | Amanpour and Company (PBS), January 19, 2022 (18:21)
Laura Coates was a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, before becoming a prosecutor as assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. In her new book "Just Pursuit," she reveals the reality of working as a Black woman within a legal system that is widely considered racist. She joins Michel Martin to discuss how the pursuit of justice can create injustice. “Racist Halloween Costumes,” an article by Lisa Wade
How to build a non-racist society by James Baldwin (1:02)
Dreaming Emmett, a play by Toni Morrison
The Murder of Emmett Till (25:44) coverage by “60 minutes” TV program
“How Have I Not Read This?” Book Club Discussion of James Baldwin's No Name in the Street (1:11:45) with 4 outstanding black intellectuals—Imani Perri, Julian Lucas, Eddie Glaude Jr, Hilton Als. They discuss Baldwin’s homosexuality, his stay in Paris, heterosexualization of Baldwin, and artists and revolutionaries
James Baldwin’s words from 1968 connect to America today. October 8, 2020 (10:06)
Reading James Baldwin Now: Eddie Glaude Jr., on “The White Man’s Guilt” September 24, 2020 (53:10)
“We Wear the Mask,” a poem that Maya Angelou recites (4:42)
Maya Angelou reads her poem of resilience and defiance: “Still I Rise” (2:15)
Silent Racism: “Is racism a thing of the past or is it still with us, something many people try to will away and out of sight? Barbara Trepagnier, sociology professor at Texas State University-San Marcos, discusses the subtleties of prejudice in her book Silent Racism: How Well-Meaning White People Perpetuate the Racial Divide. Karen Saupe hosts.” Both the host and guest are white. (26:39)
“What Happened, Miss Simone?” directed by Liz Garbus. Review by Ruth Feldstein, OUP blog, July 21, 2015
Remembering bell hooks & Her Critique of "Imperialist White Supremacist Heteropatriarchy" (Democracy Now) 16:01
Ted Johnson: Racial Inequality at the Heart of All U.S. Problems, Amanpour and Company (PBS) 18:18
Author and retired naval commander Theodore Johnson characterizes racism as "an existential threat to America”—but he also argues that all is not lost. In his new book, "When the Stars Begin to Fall," Johnson lays out a blueprint for healing the nation, as he explains to Michel Martin. Originally aired on August 20, 2021. “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America,” a documentary film directed by Emily and Sarah Kunstler (2022), based on Jeffrey
Robinson’s book Racism in America: A History in Three Acts (1:02:28)
James Dator (Goucher College Professor of History and Africana Studies) explains the origins, causes, and changing nature of racism and race ideology in the United States from 1619 to the present. Eddie S. Glaude Jr. examines race relations in U.S. (full interview), Brother From Another Show (25:43) Eddie S. Glaude Jr. joins Michael Smith and Michael Holley for a frank conversation about race relations in America through the lens of the still-unfolding U.S. election of 2020. November 5, 2020
Penny Rosenwasser’s podcast “Choosing Justice Over Fear” 29 mins
[American Literature] James Baldwin (Notes of a Native Son (11:12)
Invisible Man: Crash Course Literature 308 (11:06) by john green. (Green does not use capital letters in his name.)
James Baldwin Discusses Racism | The Dick Cavett Show (17:08)
Conversation with a Native Son: Maya Angelou and James Baldwin (26 mins)
Civil Rights | James Baldwin Interview | Mavis on Four (19:4)
James Baldwin: Great Writers of the 20th Century (53 mins)
Literary Icons You NEED to Know from the Harlem Renaissance (featuring Princess Weekes, It's Lit (14:32)
Langston Hughes: Leading Voice of the Harlem Renaissance | Biography (3:33)
The Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck (Viking 1939) (3:04)
ditto - (4:10)
ditto - (4:09)
No Irish Need Apply, a poem by John F. Poole
“When America Despised the Irish: The 19th Century’s Refugee Crisis” by Christopher Klein. Updated: March 14, 2019; original: March 16, 2017, History Stories
“John Edgar Wideman Against the World” by Thomas Williams, The New York Times Magazine, January 26, 2017
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“What Was the Protest Group Students for a Democratic Society? Five Questions Answered,” Todd Gitlin, Professor of Sociology and Journalism at Columbia University and former president of SDS, shares his perspective on protest in the 60s and now
Nepantla: An Anthology for Queer Poets of Color, ed. Christopher Soto (Nightboat Books, 2018)
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“How to Watch Your Brother Die,” a poem by Michael Lassell
Prejudice against transgenders and women’s abortion right: “From Abortion Bans to Anti-Trans Laws, a Christian Legal Army is Waging War on America,” Daily Digest, December 3, 2021
We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics, eds. Andrea Abi-Karam and Kay Gabriel (eBook, 2020)
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“If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi,” short stories by Neel Patel (Flatiron Books, 2018)
Shaj Mathew’s review of Neel Patel’s If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi
BookBrowse.com gives excerpts from reviewers of If You See Me, Don’t Say Hi
Tell Me How to Be, a novel by Neel Patel (Flatiron Books, 2021)
Los Angeles Review of Books Radio Hour, January 28, 2022: Neel Patel’s Tell Me How to Be. (Interview with the author)
Marcie McCauley’s review of Neel Patel’s novel Tell Me How to Be in Chicago Review of Books, December 7, 2021: “The Shifting Perspectives of Longing in Tell Me How to Be”
“50 Essential LGBTQ Movies,” list prepared by David Fear, Jerry Portwood, Jenny Scherer, Maria Fontoura, and Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, June 25, 2020
Excerpt from Farewell to Manzanar (nonfiction) by James Houston and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
“Something Whispered in the Shakuhachi,” a poem by Garrett Hongo
Threat and Humiliation, U.S. Domestic Human Rights Program. Full report
“Race, fear collide in Choi’s ‘Person’: a review article on Susan Choi’s novel A Person of Interest
“Jailed for Speaking to the Press: How the Obama Admin Ruined Life of State Dept Expert Stephen Kim,” Democracy Now, February 18, 2015 (58:56)
“Surrender” (the story of the State Department analyst Stephen Kim) made by the Intercept.
Accompanying article: “Destroyed by the Espionage Act” by Peter Maass, senior writer at the Intercept. This case reminds us of Susan Choi’s aforementioned novel A Person of Interest. A review of that novel, titled “Race, fear collide in Choi’s Person was also included earlier.
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Ancestors in the Americas, The Center for Educational Telecommunications television series (2001)
A la Mujer Borrinqueña, a poem by Sandra Maria Esteves
“Countering Arab Stereotypes,” Social Justice Books: A Project of Teaching for Change
Eric Lichtblau, “Hate Crimes Against American Muslims Most Since Post-9/11 Era,” The New York Times, September 17, 2016
Death threat to Ilhan Omar: Ilhan Omar shares threats and hate received after Lauren Boebert’s anti-Muslim attack
Rebecca Clay, “Muslims in America, Post 9/11,” American Psychology Association journal, September 2011, Vol 42, No. 8
Asians subjected to hate crimes after the COVID Pandemic of 2020
“The Violence Rattling Asian Americans”
Los Angeles Times, March 16, 2021. “Asian Americans have been verbally and physically attacked, shunned during pandemic”
Asian American Doctors and Nurses Fighting Coronavirus and Racism
Viet Thanh Nguyen, interviewed in Democracy Now about the massacre of six Asian American women in Atlanta
In Search of Bengali Harlem, a documentary film by Vivek Bald and Alaudin Ullah
Holocaust Graphic Novelist Art Spiegelman on "Maus" & Wave of Book Bans Sweeping U.S. (20:17)
Fawzia Afzal-Khan. Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim Women Speak Out (Olive Branch, 2001)
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Shamsie, Muneeza. ed. And the World Changed: Contemporary Stories by Pakistani Women (The Feminist Press, 2008)
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Nilanshu Kumar Agarwal. “Shattering the Stereotypes: An Interview with Fawzia Afzal-Khan,” Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1 (2009)
Allison Faith Brogan, “Fortifying the Roar of Women: Betty Shamieh and the Palestinian-American Female Voice” (thesis in the Graduate Program in Theatre), Ohio State University, 2012
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Leila Ahmed. Women and Gender in Islam (Yale University Press, 1992)
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Linda Sarsour. We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders: A Memoir of Love and Resistance (Simon & Schuster, 2020)
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Therese Saliba, Carolyn Allen, and Judith Howard, eds. Gender, Politics, and Islam (The University of Chicago Press, 2002)
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Donna Gehrke-White. The Face Behind the Veil: The Extraordinary Lives of Muslim Women in America (Kensington Publishing Corp., 2006)
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Why Muslims Should Oppose the Abortion Ban
“Countering Arab Stereotypes,” Social Justice Books: A Project of Teaching for Change
Chapter 6 Movies
Description
URLs
“Crash” (2005), winner of three Academy Awards, written and directed by Paul Haggis
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Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Movement, Vol. 1
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“Awakenings” (1954-1956)
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“Fighting Back” (1957-1962)
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Produced and directed by Judith Vecchione (120 minutes)
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The Grapes of Wrath, film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s classic novel of 1939, directed by John Ford (1940)
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The Color of Fear, a documentary film by Lee Mun Wah (1994; 1 hour:30 mins)
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Mississippi Burning: 50th Anniversary of Ku Klux Klan Murder of 3 Civil Rights Workers. The killing of three civil rights workers (one black and two whites) in Mississippi resulted in a pivotal moment in the 1960s’ struggle for equality. It took 41 years to unearth the murderers before a murder conviction was handed down in 2005 in the case when former Ku Klux Klansman Edgar Ray Killen was found guilty of manslaughter.
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"Neshoba: The Price of Freedom." This 2010 documentary film by Michi Dickoff is about the aforementioned murder of three civil rights workers in Mississippi. This movie and the one noted above relate particularly well to "Dry September," the short story by William Faulkner in this chapter.
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“Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” (2021), directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kuntsler, based on Jeffery Robinson’s book (1h 57m)
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The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is a 2011 documentary film, directed by Göran Olsson, that examines the evolution of the Black Power Movement in American society from 1967 to 1975.
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A Raisin in the Sun. There are several versions of this play by Lorraine Hansberry. Two outstanding ones are with Sidney Poitier and Danny Glover.
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Bartleby: A Story of Wall Street, directed by Jonathan Parker. Film adaptation of Herman Melville's classic short novel of the same title.
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American History X, directed by Tony Kaye
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Malcolm X, directed by Spike Lee
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Who Killed Malcolm X? a Netflix documentary
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Discussion of the movie, “The Murder of Emmett Till” (5:59)
Roger Ebert’s review of the movie “The Murder of Emmett Till”
Mississippi Masala with Denzel Washington, directed by Mira Nair
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What Happened, Miss Simone? A documentary film about the legendary singer and activist in the context of America’s Civil Rights movement, directed by Liz Garbus, who was interviewed on “Democracy Now” on June 24, 2015.
The Invisible Man, a very short documentary (12:35), directed by Judith Ehrlich and produced by ExposeFacts.org (of the Institute for Public Accuracy). Norman Solomon of ExposeFacts.org interviewed Jeffrey Sterling. This case is similar to the one about Stephen Kim (mentioned earlier). Kim is Asian, and the CIA officer Sterling is an African American. Both involve excessive and unreasonable punishment (if any punishment was at all called for).
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Documentary link:
To help you understand the documentary in depth, here is the link to a good article:
“Toni Morrison: The Pieces that I Am,” a documentary film directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
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“I Am Not Your Negro” clip(Future of America (2:00)
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“I Am Not Your Negro” a documentary about Baldwin Description: “In his new film, director Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished—a radical narration about race in America, using the writer's original words. He draws upon James Baldwin's notes on the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr. to explore and bring a fresh and radical perspective to the current racial narrative in America.”
“The Sky Is Gray,” a short story by Ernest Gaines. Watch its film adaptation by using Kanopy.org.
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The Central Park Five, a film by the award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns, tells the story of the five black and Latino teenagers from Harlem who were wrongly convicted of raping a white woman in New York City’s Central Park in 1989. The film chronicles those events, for the first time, from the perspective of the five teenagers whose lives were upended by this miscarriage of justice.
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“The Loving Story,” directed by Nancy Buirski (2013; 1 hour:14 mins). In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.
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Who Killed Vincent Chin, a documentary film, directed by Christine Choy and produced by Renee Tajima-Peña
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“Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People” is a 51-minute documentary film directed by Sut Jhally and featuring the author Jack Shaheen. It was produced by Media Education Foundation in 2006.
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“Think Again!” A negatively stereotypical representation of Arabs/Muslims in film. Written, directed, and produced by Masroor Malik (1:08)
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) presented “Arab Images on Film”—a month-long movie event that
focused on the diverse portrayals of Arabs in cinema. Jack Shaheen applauded inclusion of realistic portrayals of Arabs outside of Hollywood:
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A good question to ponder is this: Given the stereotypically negative portrayals of Arabs and Muslims in movies, how can we build cross-ethnic and cultural alliances and coalitions with the Arab and Muslim communities?
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“Moonlight,” a feature film directed by Barry Jenkins (2017)
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“50 Essential LGBTQ Movies,” list prepared by David Fear, Jerry Portwood, Jenny Scherer, Maria Fontoura, and Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, June 25, 2020
Khuda ke liye (For God’s sake), directed by Shoaib Mansoor. This movie is about women’s subjection and the post-9-11 persecution of innocent Americans of Islamic faith.
My Name Is Khan, directed by Karan Kumar Johar, is about post-9/11 persecution of Muslims in the United-States.
An American Mosque, a documentary film, directed by David Washburn, about religious freedom and the struggle against intolerance. This article by Jennifer Robinson describes the film.
You can tweet the film director David Washburn (@_davidwashburn)/Twitter.
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“Countering Arab Stereotypes,” Social Justice Books: A Project of Teaching for Change
Chapter Seven: Intersecting IdentitiesDescription
URLs
“Kimberle Crenshaw on Intersectionality: The Big Idea” (5:14)
Kimberlee Crenshaw, “Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics,” University of Chicago Legal Forum, Vol. 1989, Issue 1, Article 8
“Los Intersticios: Recasting Moving Selves,” an essay by Evelyn Alsultany in The Bridge We Call Home: Radical Visions for Transformation, eds. Gloria Anzaldua and AnaLouise Keating (Routledge 2002)
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“ABOUT MEN; Whites without Money” by Lloyd Van Brunt, The New York Times, March 27, 1994, Section 6, page 38
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William Faulkner, “Barn Burning,” a short story
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“Barn Burning,” film adaptation of a short story by William Faulkner (42 minutes). You can watch this movie free of cost, courtesy of Kanopy.com, by using either your membership card for a public library or by proving your affiliation with a college or university.
Pil Ho Kim, “Adaptation As Arson: ‘Barn Burning’ from William Faulkner to Murakami Haruki to Lee Chang-dong,” Korean Studies Colloquium, October 17, 2024, James Joo-Jin Kim Center for Korean Studies, University of Pennsylvania
“White Privilege and Male Privilege,” White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McCintosh
“For the white person who wants to know how to be my friend,” a poem by Pat Parker
“The Myth of the Latin Woman,” an essay by Judith Ortiz Cofer
“Cross,” a poem by Langston Hughes
“Bilingual Blues,” a poem by Gustavo Pérez-Firmat
“Dedication,” a poem by Gustavo Pérez-Firmat
“To live in the Borderlands means you,” a poem by Gloria Anzaldua
“Brightness of Courage: The Fight for Transgender Access to Gender-Specific Spaces,” podcast (29 minutes)
"Nigger-Reecan Blues," a poem by Willie Perdomo (3:10)
"Song of the Breed," a poem by Gogisgi
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"Flipochinos," a poem by Cyn. Zarco. Scroll down to side 2, band 2
Review article on the movie Fancydancing, directed and written by Sherman Alexie
America Is in the Heart: A Personal History by Carlos Bulosan.
Read sections from this book according to their relevance to the chapter being studied. For this chapter that relates to intersectionality, read Bulosan’s Chapter XXXV excerpt starting with “I had cultivated a friendship” and ending with “Now I’m serving her.” Accessing specific pages is very easy by choosing the “jump” option on the screen. Down These Mean Streets, a novel by Piri Thomas. The two chapters, titled “Hey, Barrio—I’m Home” and “I Swears to God and the Virgin,” are of special relevance to this chapter.
The linked comment on the book by the Amazon reviewers is helpful.
At the Smithsonian: “Why Piri Thomas’ Coming of Age Memoir Still Resonates Today”
"An American in New York," a story by LeAnne Howe
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"The White Umbrella," a story by Gish Jen
"Long Way Home," a story by Sara Lau --
"Muslim Roots, U.S. Blues," an article by Jonathan Curiel
“Bassem Is Trying,” a short video (2:26) about Islamophobia
Masroor Malik. “We the People,” written, directed, and produced by Masroor Malik (5:03)
Video: Islamophobia in Post-9/11 America)
Intersectional Complexities of South Asian Muslim Americans:
Implications for Identity and Mental Health, APA PsychNet (American Psychological Association)
Fawzia Afzal-Khan, editor, Shattering the Stereotypes: Muslim-American Women Speak Out Post 9/11. Interlink Publishers.
[Reprinted from Radical History Review].
Gloria Anzaldua and Cherrie Moraga, eds. This Bridge Called My Back: Writings
by Radical Women of Color (State University of New York Press, 2015)
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Leonard, Karen. “Muslim Diaspora: Gender, Culture and Identity” (review), Journal
of Middle East Women's Studies, Volume 4, Number 2, Spring 2008, pp. 111-114
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Sau-ling C. Wong and Jeffrey J. Santa Ana, “Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature,” Signs. Vol. 25, No. 1 (Autumn, 1999), pp. 171-226
“A Contrarian View: Race, Representation and Islamophobia in Ayad Akhtar's Disgraced”
Rabab Abdulhadi, Evelyn Alsultany, and Nadine Naber. Eds. Arab & Arab American Feminisms: Gender,
Violence, & Belonging (Syracuse University Press, 2011)
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“The Role of Cross-Racial Solidarity in a Time of Protest”
Suhair Hammad reads her poem about the 9/11 terror attacks: “First Writing Since” (5:48)
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the elderly U.S. Senator Ted Yoho’s use of abusive language in response to her political views
Scholars Angela Davis, Gina Dent & Beth Richie on Why the World Needs “Abolition. Feminism. Now.” Democracy Now (28:37)
The Silencing of Black & Queer Voices: George M. Johnson on 15-State Ban of All Boys Aren't Blue (Democracy Now)
How certain intersections result in unequal access to quality nutrition in America. “How the Other Half Eats” by Sociologist Priya Fielding-Singh (52 mins)
bell hooks-How Do We Define Feminist Liberation? | Eugene Lang College 1:54:47
Mind, Body and Soul—Women of Color Conference Keynote (2008) 42 mins
Salma Hayek’s Powerful Message to Hollywood: “We’re Not Going Away at 30.” (10:36)
Hollywood's Sexism: Salma Hayek & Matthias Schoenaerts—Women in Motion (37:20)
Barack Obama reads from his book Dreams from My Father at the Cambridge Public Library in 1995 (56:42)
Amy Goodman's coverage of the shooting deaths by New Orleans police on Danziger Bridge
in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Of the several tragic shootings, most tragic was the one that
killed Ronald Madison, a 40-years old mentally disabled unarmed man and a young black man, James Brisette.
This "Democracy Now" coverage provides several links to relevant publications.
Patricia Hill Collins on Black Feminism, Intersectionality and Democratic Possibilities in Honor of International Women's Day and Women's History Month, Apr 13, 2017 (1:29:27)
Islamophobia Is Racism
“My Body Is Not Your Battleground” by Mohja Kahf
Publisher’s overview of Kahf’s poems in E-mails from Scheherazad
“Hi, Babe: Mohja Kahf's E-mails from Scheherazad,” reviewed by Nathalie Handal
1700% Project: Mistaken for Muslim (5:35)
Islam & America Through the Eyes of Imran Khan (2001). Khan is Pakistan’s former Prime Minister, former Chancellor of the University of Bradford, England, the cricket legend, and a globally recognized humanitarian.
Narcy featuring Shadia Mansour "Hamdulillah" Official Music Video (4:19)
Chapter 7 Movies
Description
URLs
Qavi Khan's film, I'll Meet You There, directed by Iram Perveen Bilal (trailer 2:12)
An article about banning of this movie in Pakistan
Documentary film: "Disturbing the Universe" by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler about the civil rights and anti-war attorney William Kunstler (called the most loved and most hated U.S. attorney). Among those he defended were Dennis Banks (a Native American), Chicago 8, and a 15-year-old black boy who was accused (and later exonerated) in the gang rape and beating of a jogger in New York's Central Park.
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Smoke, directed by Wayne Wang
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La Mission, directed by Peter Bratt
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Prince Among Slaves (a true story), directed by Andrea Kalin
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Crash, directed by Paul Haggis
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The Way Home, a documentary by Shakti Butler
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Quinceanera, directed by Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland
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The Business of Fancydancing, directed and written by Sherman Alexie
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Brokeback Mountain, directed by Ang Lee
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Pieces of April, directed by Peter Hedges
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Moonlight, directed by Barry Jenkins
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Through Deaf Eyes, directed by Lawrence Hott and Diane Garey
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Chapter Eight: The Struggle for Equity, Recognition, and InclusionDescription
URLs
“10 Things You May Not Know About Nat Turner’s Rebellion: Explore 10 surprising facts about the bloodiest revolt in American slavery history” by Christopher Klein, History, February 5, 2020
William Styron, The Confessions of Nat Turner, a novel (Vintage, 1992)
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John Brown’s Body, an epic poem by Steven Vincent Benet. Link to the entire poem
For a moving narrative of John Brown and a handful of his followers’ courageous and risky rebellion against slavery, John Brown’s capture, and execution, read these parts of this long poem: Book One: Lines 25-41; 78-91; 427-450; 534-539; 704-725; 1372-1382; 1409-1476. Book Eight: 1827-1889 Tanenhaus, Sam. “The Literary Battle for Nat Turner’s Legacy,” Vanity Fair, August 3, 2016
U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders, “United States’ Movement toward Oligarchy, Authoritarianism, and Kleptocracy”
Ronald Takaki, “Prospero Unbound: The Market Revolution,” A Different Mirror: A
History of Multicultural America (Back Bay Books; 1st edition, 2008)
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George Washington, “Washington’s Changing Views on Slavery,” George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Thomas Jefferson’s condemnation of slavery and the King of Britain, American Battlefield Trust
John Adams’ opposition to slavery on moral grounds and the necessity of caution in pursuing abolition
Women who fought for the right to vote
Paul Robeson Speaks! 1958 KPFA Radio Interview (30:52)
“Paul Robeson Speaks! International Peace Arch, August 16, 1953” (12:22)
Paul Robeson: The singer who fought for justice and paid with his life (ABC News, Australia) (9:21)
Steve McQueen and Dr. Cornel West on Paul Robeson, Art, and Politics (1:20:00)
Bryan Stevenson: From the courtroom to Hollywood, | BookTube (18:29)
Bryan Stevenson talks about his book Just Mercy and its being made into a movie with
the superstar Michael Jordan playing Stevenson. He mentions his meeting with Rosa
Parks and reiterates the book’s and movie’s message that “hopelessness is the enemy of justice.”
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Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Where Do We Go from Here?”
Martin Luther King, Jr's, Last Sunday Sermon (47:26)
Ending of Dr. King’s last speech: “I have been to the mountain top.” (3:27) (April 3, 1968). He was assassinated the next day.
Malcolm X in the Oxford Union debate of December 3, 1964, titled “Extremism in the Defense of Liberty is No Vice; Moderation in the Pursuit of Justice is No Virtue" (12:38)
Also
A comprehensive New York Times article on the question of reparations
Malcolm X—What is the black revolution (20:56)
(Malcolm X’s speech that probably got him assassinated). Malcolm X was a learned man who knew the world's history and cultures. He was fearless in speaking the truth, very persuasive, and inspirational to the victims of oppression worldwide. Malcolm X on being American (9:08)
Malcolm X vs. Dr. M.L. King (8:48)
Malcolm X—His final speech (6:35)
Charles Lewis Nier III. "Guilty as Charged: Malcolm X and His Vision of Racial Justice for African Americans Through Utilization of the United Nations International Human Rights Provisions and Institutions," Penn State International Law Review: Vol. 16: No. 1, Article 3, 1997
Malcolm X’s Speech at the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, 1964. Posted on October 15, 2007 by BlackPast
Caesar Chavez’ active participation in progressive causes, such as unionizing farm workers, gay rights and ending the Vietnam War, “11 influential Hispanic activists you need to know: Leaders of la lucha” by Katie Dupre, LM, August 21, 2018.
Film adaptation of “The Sky Is Gray,” a story by Ernest Gaines
You can watch this 40-minute movie through Kanopy by using your library membership card for any public library in any city. “Reflections on Exile,” an essay by Edward Said.
You can access said’s essay via EBSCO by using your institutional or public library. --
R. Radhakrishnan, “Is the Ethnic ‘Authentic’ in the Diaspora?”
You can access this essay via EBSCO by using your institutional or public library. --
“The Nowhere Man,” an essay by Pico Iyer
Vivek Bald, Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America (Harvard University Press, 2015)
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“In Search of Bengali Harlem,” a documentary film based on Vivek Bald’s above-mentioned book 5:30
Bengali Harlem
Bengali Harlem, the Brian Lehrer Show (14:05): Vivek Bald discusses his Bengali Harlem project with WNYC’s Brian Lehrer
Immigrantly: Cross-Cultural Conversations: “Unearthing the Untold Stories of the South Asian Diaspora in Harlem” (43:18)
Vijay Prashad, The Karma of Brown Folk (Univ. of Minnesota Press, 2000)
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Cross-Racial Solidarity in a Time of Protest
Between the World and Me, a book of nonfiction by Ta-Nehisi Coates
“One Today,” a poem by Richard Blanco. The poem celebrates the ideal of national unity in diversity. In writing this poem for Barack Obama's Presidential Inauguration on January 21, 2013, Blanco became the youngest poet in U.S. history to read an inaugural poem
Excerpt from Lost in Translation: Life in a New Language, autobiography by Eva Hoffman
The Boy Without a Flag, an essay by Adam Rodriguez, Jr.
Piri Thomas, “Hey, Barrio—I’m Home” and “I Swears to God and the Virgin,” Down These Mean Streets (Vintage 1997)
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“Capturing the Spirit: Teaching Karen Tei Yamashita’s I Hotel," an article by Lai Ying Yu in Asian American Literature: Discourses & Pedagogies: Vol. 5, Article 7. 2014
Belgium sets an example for making reparations a part of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The World Transformation Movement
(Read the transcript or watch the show.) Freedom: The End of the Human Condition by Jeremy Griffith. How We Can Finally End All the Turmoil & Suffering in the World! The film of this interview can be viewed at https://www.humancondition.com/. It is also available as a book. Even though the author is an Australian, not American, his message is universal and, therefore, relevant also to the United States. A very short condensation of Freedom titled Transform Your Life and Save The World is now available for free at humancondition.com. If so desired, it can also be purchased on Amazon. Maya Angelou's Life Advice: Her speech of 2021 is one of the best motivational
and inspirational videos (8:03). It exemplifies individual struggle against seemingly impossible odds to emerge victorious.
Redefine American, PBS Learning Media (4:48)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ speech at the Democratic National Convention in August 2020 exemplifies the younger Democrats’ push for justice for all Americans
Charlottesville Rally Turns Deadly: One Killed After Car Strikes Crowd,” NBC News, August 12, 2017. White nationalists and counter-protesters were gathered in Charlottesville when a car drove into a crowd. The driver was arrested
Juliet Linderman and Martha Mendoza, “Officers maced, trampled: Docs expose depth of Jan. 6 Chaos,” AP News, March 10, 2021, coverage of white supremacists’ attack on the nation’s Capitol that killed five people on January 6, 2021
Chapter 8 Movies
Description
URLs
The Birth of a Nation, a feature film directed by Nate Parker (2016)
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America Beyond the Color Line, written and presented by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Directed by Dan Percival and Mary Crisp (225 mins)
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Edward Said on Orientalism, a documentary (1998), directed by Sut Jhally (40 mins.)
In Search of Bengali Harlem, a documentary film based on Vivek Bald’s Bengali Harlem and the Lost Histories of South Asian America
Vimeo preview (5:30)
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They [Pakistani ancestors] came to the US and married Mexican Americans (23:37)
The Loving Story, directed by Nancy Buirski, is a 2011 documentary about Richard and Mildred Loving, who were plaintiffs in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia. Its setting is the Civil Rights era of the 1960s. The landmark judgement invalidated state laws that banned interracial marriage (1:17:00)
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The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg (1985). This movie is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Alice Walker (2:34:00)
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Disturbing the Universe, a documentary film by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler about the civil rights and anti-war attorney William Kunstler, who is known as the most loved and most hated U.S. attorney. Among those he defended were Dennis Banks (a Native American), the Chicago 7, and a 15-year old black boy who was accused (and later exonerated) in the gang rape and beating of a jogger in New York's Central Park
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Film adaptation of The Sky is Gray, a short story by Ernest Gaines (40 mins.) This story has been discussed in depth in Chapter Six. It is relevant to this chapter as well, as it is about the struggle of a poor black family to live with dignity
Description by the filmmaker: “From Ernest J. Gaines, author of ‘The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman’, comes a deceptively simple, yet emotionally complex tale of a young boy's discovery of what it's like to be black in Louisiana during the 1940s. James, the boy in question, has a raging toothache that necessitates a trip to the dentist. His mother accompanies James to town on an eye-opening odyssey where the boy gains valuable insights into poverty, racism, and his own sense of pride. With an exciting musical score by Webster Lewis, this multi-award-winning film explores a child's discovery that the world is a complicated place…where things are never truly black or white…only shades of gray.”
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Chapter Nine: American People’s Struggle for a Just U.S. Foreign PolicyDescription
URLs
PHILIPPINES RELATED:
Albert Beveridge, U.S. Senator articulates the U.S. imperialist agenda on the Senate floor on January 9, 1900 (Cited in Zinn 313–314)
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Susan A. Brewer, “Selling Empire: American Propaganda and War in the Philippines,” October 1, 2013, Asia-Pacific Journal, Volume 11, Issue 40, Number 1
Susan Brewer, Why America Fights: Patriotism and Propaganda from the Philippines to Iraq (Oxford University Press, 2009)
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Laura A. Belmonte’s review of Brewer’s book, Why America Fights, Journal of Cold War Studies, The MIT Press, Volume 15, Number 3, Summer 2013, pp. 193-194
VIETNAM RELATED:
Martin Luther King, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” speech delivered on April 4, 1967, at the Riverside Church, New York City (54:38)
Link to print and audio version (56:20)
Seymour Hersh, “The Massacre at My Lai: A mass killing and its coverup,” The New Yorker, January 14, 1972
“The My Lai Massacre,” PBS Live TV, American Experience
“Vietnamese villagers killed by U.S. soldiers in My Lai Massacre,” History.com Editors, February 9, 2010, last updated March 2, 2025
IRAQ RELATED:
Owen Jones, “The War in Iraq Was Not a Blunder or a Mistake. It Was a Crime,” The Guardian, July 7, 2016
“I fought in an unjust war. Let me tell you what that feels like,” by Joe Glenton, The Guardian, 7 July 2016
Zainab Salbi, “250 dead in a single attack. Yet more proof of the folly of war in Iraq,” The Guardian, July 6, 2016
“How America Misunderstood Iraqi Politics and Lost the War” by Samuel Helfont, March 30, 2023, Foreign Policy Research Institute
Raymond Hinnebusch, The US Invasion of Iraq: Explanations and Implications, Critique: Critical Middle Eastern Studies, Taylor and Francis online, vol 16, 2007, Issue 3, pages 209-228 | Published online: 01 Oct 2007
PAKISTAN RELATED:
Ryan Grim and Murtaza Hussain, “Secret Pakistan Cable Documents U.S. Pressure to Remove Imran Khan,” The Intercept, August 9, 2023
Junaid Ahmad, “Failed assassination of Imran Khan may push Pakistan’s US-backed coup regime to tipping point”
Junaid Ahmad, “Exposed: U.S.-backed regime change in Pakistan,” Useful Idiots, August 18, 2023 (starts at 17 minutes into the video and ends at 56 minutes)
“Smoking Gun Evidence Proves U.S. Backed Coup,” Geopolitical Economy Report by Ben Norton, September 26, 2023 (51:42)
“Searching for Humanity,” June 21, 2007, review of A Mighty Heart by Roger Ebert
“A Mighty Heart: Blunt, Grim and Gripping,” review of A Mighty Heart by David Edelstein, NPR, June 22, 2007
“How a Single Spy Helped Turn Pakistan Against the United States,” April 9, 2013, by Mark Mazzetti, New York Times Magazine. This article has many important details that resemble the plot of Hamid’s novel, The Reluctant Fundamentalist
This article was adapted from Mazzetti’s book, The Way of the Knife: The C.I.A., a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth,” published in 2013.
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Mark Mazzetti, The Way of the Knife: The C.I.A., a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth,” (Penguin Publishing Group, 2014)
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Democracy Now, “The Way of the Knife: New York Times’ Mark Mazetti on the CIA’s Post-9/11 Move from Spying to Assassinations,” April 10, 2013 (32 minutes, starting at 14 minutes into the video and ending at 46 minutes)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Harcourt Books, 2007)
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“Prof. Abdul Jabbar on Secret Pakistan Cable Leak,” Muslim Network TV, August 11, 2023 (10:57)
Talk World Radio: Abdul Jabbar on U.S.-Backed Coup in Pakistan, host: David Swanson (28:54)
Abdul Jabbar, “Indirect colonialism: US role in Pakistan’s political crisis,” April 25, 2022, Geopolitical Economy Report
Abdul Jabbar, “American-Style Colonialism and Imperialism, with Pakistan the Latest Victim,” South Asia Journal, May 10, 2022
Abdul Jabbar, “US Government Can Put Pakistan Back on the Road to Democracy,” Pakistan Link, August 9, 2023
JUST Webinar: Regime Change: The Pakistan Experience. The host Prof. Junaid Ahmad introduces the two
speakers, Prof. Abdul Jabbar and Prof. Jeffrey Sachs at 10 minutes into this video. September 9, 2024 (1:56:11)
PALESTINE & ISREAL RELATED:
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders on the killing of 18,500 Palestinian children in Gaza by Israel with U.S. complicity. (short video, September 17, 2025)
“Bernie Sanders becomes first US senator to say Israel committing genocide in Gaza,” The Guardian, September 17, 2025
Sanders Confronts Congress’ Silence on Gaza, May 8, 2025
“The Netanyahu Government is Implementing a Plan to Ethnically Cleanse Gaza of
Palestinians. America is Complicit. The World Must Stop It.” September 11, 2025. U.S.
Senators Chris Van Hollen and Jeff Merkley. Report Following the senators’ visit to Gaza
Border, Israel, West Bank, Jordan, and Egypt.
“Unprecedented Surge in Islamophobia: A Conversation with Professor Abdul Jabbar,” New Wave Global,
host: Dr. Amina Saqib, December 24, 2023 (37:02)
“What Were Hamas’ Choices, and How Has Resistance Shaped Gaza,” Interview with
Abdul Jabbar hosted by Dr. Amina Saqib of New Wave Global, October 27, 2023 (49:08)
“End the Veto: The Only Way to End the Slaughter of Innocent People in Occupied Palestine and Worldwide”
by Abdul Jabbar, Countercurrents, March 23, 2025
Asher Ginsburg (pen name of Ahad Ha’am), “Truth About Eretz Israel,” translated by Alan Dowty, Israel Studies, Vol. 5, Number 2, 161-162. As far back as 1891, Ginsberg exploded the myth about Palestine as a land without people.
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Theodor Herzl, The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl, Edited by Ralph Patai, translated by Harry Zohn (New York and London: Herzl Press, 1960) Vol. II, p. 720
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Simha Flapan’s book, Zionism and the Palestinians (Harper and Row/Barnes & Noble, 1979)
“Israel as a Racist Endeavor: 11 Examples,” Independent Jewish Voices Canada, November 23, 2020
Life in Occupied Palestine by Anna Baltzer (59:27). Also included under Movies
“Edward Said and Palestine,” narrated by Christopher Sykes (1988) 54:10
Edward Said, Reflections on Exile and Other Essays, interview by Brian Lamb for C-Span 2001 (57:09)
“The Forgotten History of Arab Jews,” interview of Avi Shlaim by Mohammad Hassan for “The Big Picture” blog (54:03)
What Churchill Thought About the Palestinians and Jews (30:21)
A Land with a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism, ed. Esther Farmer, Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, and Sarah Sills (Monthly Review Press, 2021)
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Ilan Pappe on “The Nakba of Palestine” (28:30)
Ilan Pappe. The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine (One World Publications, 2007)
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American Muslims for Palestine, the largest gathering for Palestine in the U.S.
“The Gaza Bombshell” by David Rose, Vanity Fair (April 2008)
“Roadmap to Apartheid” (2012). Democracy Now’s coverage is a good introduction to the movie: “As the ANC Votes to Support BDS, a New Film Compares Life in Palestine to Apartheid South Africa.” The discussion of this movie starts at 35 minutes (out of 55:45 total program length).
“It Is Apartheid”: Israeli group B’Tselem on how Israel advances Jewish supremacy over Palestinians (17:36). Democracy Now. This broadcast also includes interviews with the Israeli journalist Gideon Levy and Palestinian American Professor and human rights attorney Noura Erakat.
UpFront—The Arena: Debating the pro-Israel lobby in the US” (14:10) Former Congressman Brian Baird debates Alan Dershowitz
Marc Lamont Hill, Noura Erakat and Aja Monet on Black-Palestinian Solidarity (13:26)
Angela Davis on Black liberation and Palestinian solidarity (5:13)
“BBC & CNN Bias Exposed on Israel and Palestine” (21:11)
“If you are not careful, the newspapers (Western media) will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.” Malcolm X
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Noura Erakat Discusses Ethnic Cleansing of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah with CNN’s Becky Anderson (12:01)
Angela Davis & Noura Erakat [and Israeli journalist Gideon Levy] on Palestinian Solidarity, Gaza & Israel’s Killing of Ahmad Erekat (13:14). Democracy Now, May 20, 2021. The complete show runs for 59:02 and consists of three parts: Part 1: Gideon Levy & Noura Erakat on Israel’s Gaza Assault, U.S. Complicity and Ending the Occupation Part 2: “It Is Apartheid”: Rights Group B’Tselem on How Israel Advances Jewish Supremacy Over Palestinians. (This part has also been already listed as a separate item.) Part 3: Angela Davis & Noura Erakat on Palestinian Solidarity, Gaza & Israel’s Killing of Ahmad Erekat. (This part has also been already listed as a separate item.)
Pan-African Parliament Response to the Israel-Palestine Crisis (6:06)
Noura Erakat and Mike Peled on Israel’s Undeniable Apartheid (1:46:04)
South Africa slams Israel at the UN as an apartheid state, calling it the only apartheid state in the world (1:41)
Noura Erakat: “How Support for Israel’s Violations of International Law Puts the U.S. on the Wrong Side of History” (21:31)
Except for Palestine: The Limits of Progressive Politics (1:27:21)
Boycott, resist, push back: Shifting narratives on Israel in the US; The Listening Post (Full). 26:40
Friends of Sabeel North America is a Christians for Palestine group. The founder Jonathan Kuttab discusses the shocking implications of Israel’s rejection of the rulings of the International Court of Justice.
Interview: “The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel's Public Relations War in the United States,” a documentary produced by Prof. Sut Jhally for Media Education Foundation. Narrated by Roger Waters. Democracy Now’s interview with the producer and the narrator (42:22)
Movie: To watch the one-hour documentary, “The Occupation of the American Mind,” without charge through Kanopy.org use the barcode on your membership card of a public library. (This title with link is also included under Movies for Ch. 9
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Naomi Klein, the journalist and author, on U.S. media coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Gideon Levy at the National Press Club/AIPAC
Gideon Levy: “What Does Hamas Really Want?” Israeli Journalist Gideon Levy on Ending the Crippling Blockade of Gaza. 9:05
AP Fires Journalist over Social Media Posts Defending Palestinian Rights
I Will Not Yield My Values: Fired AP Journalist Emily Wilder Speaks Out After Right-Wing Smears (46:59)
Rula Jebreal, Democracy Now: “MSNBC’s Sole Palestinian Voice Rula Jebreal Takes on Pro-Israeli Govt’s Bias at Network & in US Media,” July 23, 2014. (39:42)
“Candace Owens on Netanyahu’s genocidal ambitions against the Palestinians” Candace Owens and Piers Morgan clash over Israel and Netanyahu
Norman Finkelstein. Gaza: An Inquest into Its Martyrdom (University of California Press, 2018)
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Norman Finkelstein. Blacklisted Academic Norman Finkelstein on Gaza, “the World’s Largest Concentration Camp” (1:18)
Norman Finkelstein. “Palestinians Have the Right to Break Free of the ‘Unlivable’ Cage That Is Gaza” (12:05)
Norman Finkelstein. “It Is Time to Indict Israel: Norman Finkelstein on Growing Push for ICC to File War Crimes Charges,” Democracy Now, March 4, 2019 (28:42)
Norman Finkelstein on Israel, the ICC and global structures of power, interview by Mohamed Hassan, June 17, 2024, Middle East Eye, “The Big Picture podcast” (1:24:57)
Report from Gaza by Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed: Aljazeera’s “The Take: Youmna El Sayed—How a year of Israel’s war on Gaza changes a life” podcast (29:01) Al Jazeera’s Youmna ElSayed won the Pimentel Fonseca Civil Journalism Award at Napoli’s Int’l Civil Journalism Festival.
“15 Years On: Gaza Blockade Brings Society to the Brink” (3:20)
Noura Erakat, Justice for Some: Law and the Question of Palestine (Stanford University Press, 2019)
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Richard Boyd Barrett on U. S. Government and Media’s Double Standards on Crimes Against Humanity (1:49)
“Occupation 101: Intro” (3:55)
Israel disregards human rights, justice. The world continues to watch, Middle East Monitor article
“Brutal Operation Taking Place In Our Name," Israeli Military Reservists Refuse to Serve (20:44)
Yoel Elizur, “When You Leave Israel and Enter Gaza, You Are God: Inside the Minds of IDF Soldiers Who Commit War Crimes,” Haaretz, December 23, 2024.”
Our Harsh Logic: Israeli Soldiers’ Testimonies from the Occupied Territories, 2000-2010 by Breaking the Siege (Metropolitan Books, 2012).
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Shlomo Ben-Ami. “How Israel Can Escape the Gaza Trap,” Huffpost, July 29, 2014, updated Dec. 6, 2017
Jewish American Relationship with Israel at the Crossroads | The New School (1:51:10)
Penny Rosenwasser, Voices from a “Promised Land”: Palestinian and Israeli Peace Activists Speak Their Hearts (Curbstone Press, 1992)
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Alan Kaufman. “The Orchard,” Prologue to the novel Matches (Constable 2006)
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Betty Shamieh. “Tamam” in Talk to Me: Monologue Plays, ed. Eric Lane and Nina Shengold (Vintage Books, 2004)
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Sandy Nolan. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East, (Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006).
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Aziz Alghashian, “A Revived Arab Peace Initiative from Saudi Arabia Could Save the Middle East,” The Cairo Review of Global Affairs under the sponsorship of the American University in Cairo, Spring/Summer 2025
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Lah Tere speaks on the crisis in Palestine; reads a poem by a Puerto Rican poet (5:59)
Alison Weir, TalkingStick TV: “The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel” (58:07)
Alison Weir, Against Our Better Judgement: The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014)
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Alison Weir Answers 5 Questions on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (7:38)
If Americans Knew: Israel-Palestine Basics
After Trip to Gaza, Anthony Bourdain Accused World of Robbing Palestinians of Their Basic Humanity (1:22)
Harry Potter’s star Emma Watson expresses support for Palestine
“It is not a war, it is murder.” / Prof. Noam Chomsky
UNICEF Article: “Children bear brunt of violence in Gaza”: The most recent escalation in the conflict has had a devastating impact on children and their families.
Mandy Turner, “Countering ‘Day After’ Narratives: Notes Towards a Practical Program for Palestinian Liberation and Global Solidarity,” Jadaliyya, July 3, 2024
Nora Barrows-Friedman, In Our Power: US Students Organize for Justice in Palestine (Just World Books, 2014).
Palestine Solidarity Day, May 15.
Rep. Betty McCollum introduces historic bill seeking to end US complicity for Israeli human rights abuses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
“Senate Rejects Bernie Sanders’ Effort to Block Weapons Sale to Israel,” Fox News, November 20, 2024
Newman, Marcy. “Understanding why scholars get silenced for defending Palestinian rights,” The Electronic Intifada, December 19, 2014
“AP’s firing of journalist following tweets prompts outcry,” AP by David Bauder, May 21, 2021
Boycott!: The Academy and Justice for Palestine by Sunaina Maira (UC Press, 2018)
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Edward Said on Orientalism (40:02)
The Intercept report on the Fault Lines’ documentary on the genocide in Gaza: “The Night Won't End: Biden's War on Gaza”
Democracy Now’s coverage of the documentary, titled “The Night Won’t End,” written, directed, and produced by Kavitha Chekuru with the Emmy Award winner journalist Laila Al-Arian as the executive producer (44:43)
“The U.S.-Led Ceasefire Talks Are Just Buying More Time for Israel’s Genocide: Breaking this cynical cycle requires getting honest about Biden and Harris’s roles in this blood-soaked charade,” by Sunjeev Bery, The Intercept, August 22, 2024
Noam Chomsky, Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians (South End Press, 1983)
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Noam Chomsky, “Why Does the U.S. Support Israel?” (7:40)
Aaron Bushnell, Democracy Now, February 28, 2024: “The Life & Death of Aaron Bushnell: U.S. Airman Self-Immolates Protesting U.S. Support for Israel in Gaza.” Includes interview with Bushnell’s close friend and conscientious objector Levi Pierpont
Talia Jane, “Aaron Bushnell’s Self-Immolation Protest Needed to Be Seen,” Rolling Stone magazine of February 29, 2024
Zeeshan Aleem, editor of MSNBC, “Why we can’t dismiss the act of protest in Aaron Bushnell’s tragic death: What the history of self-immolation tells us about Bushnell’s death by suicide”
Lyle Rubin, “Taking Aaron Bushnell at His Word (and Deed),” The Nation, February 28, 2024
Moira Donegan, “Aaron Bushnell set himself on fire outside an Israeli embassy. It is our loss he is no longer with us,” The Guardian, February 28, 2024
Jeff Merkley. U.S. “Senator Calls on President Biden to Launch ‘Operation Gaza Rescue’.” Democracy Now, February 8, 2024 (23:27)
Jeff Merkley, “U.S. Complicit in Starvation and Humanitarian Catastrophe" in Gaza, Democracy Now, February 8, 2024 (12:59)
“Senator Jeff Merkley Highlights Devastation in Gaza on U.S. Senate Floor” (25:20)
U. S. Senator Bernie Sanders’ words addressed to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on April 25, 2024: “No, Mr. Netanyahu. It is not antisemitic”
Yanis Varoufakis, “The Truth Behind October 7” (19:11)
Rashid Khalidi, The Hundred Years War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonialism and Resistance (Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt and Company, 2020)
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Rashid Khalidi, “October 7th Revisited: Israel, Palestine, Gaza, Hamas, & The Nakba,” interview by Robinson Erhardt (1:10:35)
Youmna ElSayed, Palestinian Journalist on Gaza: “There Are Situations Your Heart Can’t Take,” interview by Amanpour & Co. (19:13)
John Mearsheimer. “No matter who the U.S. President is, the U.S. policy on Israel will not change because of the influence of the Israel lobby” (Video 3:42)
John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt. Israel Lobby and the U.S. Foreign Policy (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008)
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Paul Findley (former U.S. Congressman). They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel’s Lobby (Lawrence Hill Books, 2003)
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Institute of Palestine Studies program with multiple speakers (1 hr 40 m)
Susan Abulhawa, “What I Witnessed in Gaza Is a Holocaust,” Democracy Now March 6, 2024
Amnesty International investigation concludes Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, December 5, 2024
Amnesty International’s report of February 1, 2022: “Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians: a cruel system of domination and a crime against humanity”
Yasmin Saikia and Chad Haines. “As Gaza is obliterated, scholars and academics need to speak up. Educators have a responsibility to help guide ethical leadership. That’s why more than 4,000 of us are calling on Biden to demand a ceasefire.” Viewpoint, Analyst News, February 29, 2024
Ilan Pappe. “The Israel Lobby Is Real. This Is How It Works” interview with Aaron Bastani, host of Novara Media’s program “Downstream” (1:31:09)
Sachs’ comprehensive analysis of the conflicts in the Middle East and the U.S. role in them, presented on CNN, is titled “Trump-Netanyahu Bonhomie Devastated the Middle East Region” (3:15:21)
Anna Baltzer, Witness in Palestine: A Jewish American Woman in the Occupied Territories (Paradigm Publishers, 2007). (In Appendix V of her book, Baltzer synthesizes a lot of relevant information from diverse sources, such as Raphael Patai (The Complete Diaries of Theodor Herzl); Nur Masalha (Expulsion of Palestinians); Norman Finkelstein (Image and Reality of the Israel-Palestine Conflict); Edward Said (The Question of Palestine); Ilan Pappe (The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine); Benny Morris (The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem); Noam Chomsky (Fateful Triangle: The United States, Israel, and the Palestinians) and several other sources
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Max Blumenthal, Israel’s October 7th Narratives, Jadaliyya, October 6, 2024
Max Blumenthal, “Western Media’s Role in Israel’s Distorted Narrative” (TRT World) 1:42
Jimmy Carter, Palestine Peace Not Apartheid (Simon and Schuster, 2006)
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The Electronic Intifada, “Why Won’t U.S. Investigate Israeli Violence Against U.S. Citizens” 19 July 2014
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Angelina Jolie, “The World Has Double Standards” (short video, Muslim Central)
John Esposito, Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam (Oxford University Press, 2002)
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U.S. volunteer doctors demand Gaza ceasefire, ask Biden & White House to take urgent action (28:38)
Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Abubaker Abed. “The Murderous Logistics of Israel’s Ethnic Cleansing Campaign in Northern Gaza,” Drop Site News, October 23, 2024
Jonah Valdez, “She Exposed a Prestigious Medical Journal’s Silence on the Holocaust. Now She’s Asking about Gaza.” The Intercept, October 17, 2024
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Stéphane Hessel, FRANCE 24 The Interview—Author of Time for Outrage: Indignez-vous (11:48)
Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Message (Penguin Random House 2024)
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Ta-Nehisi Coates, “I Was Told Palestine Was Complicated. Visiting Revealed a Simple, Brutal Truth,” Democracy Now,” November 28, 2024 (59:05; the interview starts at 36 minutes into the video)
Ta-Nehisi Coates, “The Message and Understanding the Humiliation of Oppression,” The Daily Show (21:11)
Ahmed Aboudough, “Egypt’s Plan for Gaza May Have Thwarted Trump’s ‘Riviera’ for Now. But Its Loopholes Need to Be Fixed,” Chatham House, March 7, 2025
Democracy Now’s interview with Alex Gibney, director of “The Bibi Files,” a documentary film about the corruption charges against Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister (2024). Link (Last 12 minutes of this show; the interview starts at 47 minutes into the video)
Democracy Now’s coverage of the worldwide “Fast for Gaza” Movement by World Beyond War and resignation of a U.S. Air Force Officer Lt. Joy Mezler
Oscar Award acceptance speeches of Yuval Abraham and Basel Adra, co-directors of “No Other Land”
Lawrence Davidson, Richard Falk, and Stephen Zunes. “Updates on Iran-Israel War,” moderated by Daniel Falcone, Counterpunch, July 1, 2025
Jewish Voice for Peace, “We Have a Plan to End U.S. Support for Israel’s Oppression of Palestinians”
Chapter 9 Movies
Description
URLs
PHILIPPINES RELATED MOVIES:
Memories of a Forgotten War (2001)
The film reveals that more Filipinos were killed by U.S. troops in three years than by the Spanish during their 300 years of colonial rule. --
Crucible of Empire: The Spanish-American War (1999)
Produced for PBS, this film examines the American imperialist agenda that led to the U.S. invasion of the Philippines following the Spanish-American War. --
“The Philippine American War” (in production) by Emmy-winning filmmakers Marissa Aroy and Niall McKay (their production company's website, mediafactory.tv.)
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VIETNAM RELATED MOVIES:
The Untold Story of America's Defeat in Vietnam | Our History (July 9, 2024) (42:05)
The Vietnam War: A Film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick (1:36:44)
Hearts and Minds, a documentary film directed by Peter Davis (1974) 1h 52m
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The Deer Hunter, directed by Michael Cimino, winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture (1979) 3h 3m
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Review of “The Deer Hunter” by Roger Ebert, March 9, 1979, RogerEbert.com
We Were Soldiers with Mel Gibson, directed by Randall Wallace (2002) 2h 17m
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David Ansen’s review of “We Were Soldiers”: “Braveheart of Darkness,” Newsweek, March 10, 2002, updated March 13, 2010
Born on the 4th of July, directed by William Oliver Stone, winner of the Academy Award for Best Directing (1989), 2h 25m
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Roger Ebert’s review of “Born on the Fourth of July,” December 20, 1989
“Platoon,” directed by William Oliver Stone, winner of the Academy Award for Best Directing (1986) 2 hrs
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Review of “Platoon” by Roger Ebert, December 30, 1986, RogerEbert.com
“Apocalypse Now,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, winner of 21 awards, including Best
cinematography, Palme d’Or, Best Director, Golden Globe, and Best Supporting Actor, Golden Globe (1979) 3h 2m Apocalypse Now trailer
Roger Ebert’s review of “Apocalypse Now,” November 28, 1999, RogerEbert.com
IRAQ RELATED MOVIES:
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004): Michael Moore's provocative documentary criticizes the Bush administration, exploring the events leading to the war and questioning the rationale for the invasion.
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No End in Sight (2007): Nominated for an Academy Award, this film meticulously details the U.S. government's planning failures and blunders following the initial invasion, showing how they led to the subsequent insurgency and violence.
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Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007): This HBO documentary examines the systematic torture and abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison, featuring interviews with former inmates and guards.
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Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers (2006): Director Robert Greenwald investigates the corruption and fraud committed by private military contractors and corporations that profited from the war and its reconstruction efforts.
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Control Room (2004): This documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at the Al Jazeera news network during the invasion, contrasting its reporting with that of U.S. media outlets and highlighting the competing narratives of the war.
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My Country, My Country (2006): Filmmaker Laura Poitras follows a prominent Iraqi doctor and candidate for the transitional assembly, providing an intimate portrait of Iraqi life under U.S. occupation.
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Green Zone (2010): Matt Damon stars as a U.S. Army officer who becomes a rogue operative after discovering that the intelligence used to justify the war—claims of weapons of mass destruction—was faulty.
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Body of Lies (2008): This spy thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe follows a CIA agent's pursuit of a terrorist leader in Jordan. It serves as a critique of U.S. foreign policy and the challenges of counter-intelligence in the Middle East.
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In the Valley of Elah (2007): A retired military father (Tommy Lee Jones) investigates the mysterious murder of his son, a soldier recently returned from Iraq. The film explores the profound and brutalizing psychological effects of war on soldiers and the difficulty of readjusting to civilian life.
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PAKISTAN RELATED MOVIES:
“A Mighty Heart,” directed by Michael Winterbottom, produced by Brad Pitt, starring Angelina Jolie (2007) 100 mins
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The Reluctant Fundamentalist, directed by Mira Nair (2012)
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PALESTINE & ISREAL RELATED MOVIES:
“No Other Land” (2024), directed by Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Rachel Szor, and Hamdan Ballal. A joint Palestinian-Israeli production, this Academy Award winner documentary film is about Israel’s destruction of a part of the occupied West Bank and the collaboration that develops between the Palestinian activist Basel and Israeli journalist Yuval.
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“From Ground Zero,” Oscar shortlisted, filmed in Gaza in 2024 and released in January 2025. Michael Moore is one of the Executive Producers. Moore’s description and narrative in this link give some important historical background on the Palestine-Israel conflict. (Film length: just under two hours)
Description of a Memory, a film by the Israeli director Dan Geva (Icarus Films, 2005) 1h 20m. This movie is a meditation on the divergence between the ideals that led to the creation of Israel and the realities of its history.
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Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority. It is a 2006 documentary film on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict directed by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish, and narrated by Alison Weir, founder of If Americans Knew (1:29:58)
Roadmap to Apartheid. This award-winning documentary was co-directed by Eron Davidson (an Israeli) and Ana Nogueira (a white South African) and narrated by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American author Alice Walker (2012). This Democracy Now coverage is a good introduction to the movie:
“Tantura: The untold story of Israel’s foundation,” an award-winning Israeli documentary made in 2022 by Alon Schwarz about the blood-soaked origins of Israel, the war for independence for Israel and al-Nakba or the catastrophe for Palestinians (94 minutes)
The producer’s description of this award-winning movie’s contents: “Hundreds of Palestinian villages were depopulated in 1948. To Israelis, it was the War of Independence, to Palestinians it was 'Al Nakba'—the catastrophe. Director Alon Schwarz revisits former Israeli soldiers as well as Palestinian residents in an effort to re-examine what happened in Tantura, the location of an alleged, Israeli-perpetrated massacre, and find out why 'Al Nakba' is still a taboo in Israeli society.”
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The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the United States, a documentary film produced by Prof. Sut Jhally in 2016 (84 min). To watch this documentary free of charge, use these links:
Link to the full movie (84 min):
Link to the abridged version (49:18)
Democracy Now’s interview with the movie’s producer (Sut Jhally) and narrator (Roger Waters) is a good introduction to this important documentary to understand the heavy anti-Palestine and pro-Israel bias in the U.S. mainstream media ((42:22):
Note by the producer of the abridged 2024 version of this 2016 documentary: “To help bring context to U.S. corporate media coverage of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and Israel’s ongoing bombardment of Gaza, we’re releasing this newly abridged version of our 2016 film ‘The Occupation of the American Mind.’ The documentary places special emphasis on propaganda efforts designed to conceal Israel’s brutal and illegal decades-long occupation of Palestinian land as a root cause of the conflict, and to vilify those who speak up for Palestinian human rights as either anti-Semitic or terrorist-sympathizers.” This documentary features some of the renowned scholars and journalists: Noam Chomsky, Rashid Khalidi, Yousef Munayyer, Amira Hass, Norman Finkelstein, Phyllis Bennis, Rula Jebreal, Norman Solomon, Max Blumenthal, Rami Khouri, M.J. Rosenberg, Stephen J. Walt, Mark Crispin Miller, Peter Hart, Henry Siegman, and Sut Jhally. Narrated by Roger Waters, and featuring Noam Chomsky, Rashid Khalidi, Yousef Munayyer, Amira Hass, Norman Finkelstein, Phyllis Bennis, Rula Jebreal, Norman Solomon, Max Blumenthal, Rami Khouri, M.J. Rosenberg, Stephen J. Walt, Mark Crispin Miller, Peter Hart, Henry Siegman, and Sut Jhally.
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The Nation magazine’s correspondent David Zirin’s comment on the movie’s new abridged version: “As Israel continues its slaughter of Palestinians with U.S. backing, the new abridged version of this riveting 2016 film meets the current political moment like nothing else. Watch it to understand why so many Jews, like myself, are saying these words proudly right now: Not in our name.”
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Lemon Tree. Based on the true story of a Palestinian widow’s struggle to preserve her ancestral lemon grove, this movie drew international attention when she took the case to the Israeli Supreme Court. Produced by the Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis (2008), 106 minutes
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Salt of this Sea, written and directed by Annemarie Jacir, starring Suheir Hammad, this movie tells the story of an American-born Palestinian young woman who returns to occupied Palestine with family-kept documents to reclaim her monetary inheritance. Themes of occupation and colonialism serve as a backdrop to the story. (1:49:00).
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Salt of this Sea, official film trailer (1:47 mins)
Suheir Hammad on "Salt of This Sea"—The Real News Network (10:45).
Waltz with Bashir, an Israeli animated war documentary drama film by Ari Folman. It is about the protagonist’s memories of his experience as a soldier in the 1982 Lebanon War (1:30:23).
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Miral, directed by Julian Schnabel and based on Rula Jebreal’s acclaimed autobiographical novel Miral, this movie tells the story of an orphaned Palestinian girl who comes of age in the war zone.
Trailer:
Video animation of Samah Sabawi’s poem “Defying the Universe” that she wrote during the aftermath of Israel’s assault on Gaza in 2008-2009.
Life in Occupied Palestine: Eye-Witness Stories and Photographs by Anna Baltzer, a descendant of Holocaust survivors (59:27)
Persona Non Grata, Oliver Stone’s 2003 documentary film on the Israel-Palestine conflict (1:07:00)
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“Israelism,” a documentary film directed by Erin Axelman and Sam Eilertsen (2023)
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“The Night Won’t End: Biden’s War on Gaza.” This Fault Lines’ documentary is about the Gaza genocide and the U.S. role in it. Written, directed and produced by Kavitha Chekuru with the journalist Laila Al-Arian as the executive producer (2024) 01:18:36
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“Atrocity Inc.: How Israel Sells Its Destruction of Gaza,” a documentary film by Max Blumenthal
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“The Bibi Files” directed by Alex Gibney about the corruption case against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (2024)
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“Iran Is Not the Problem,” a documentary film produced by Aaron Newman, predicted the current U.S.-Iran War. The film’s brief synopsis by the producer:
Chapter Ten: What Makes America GreatDescription
URLs
Photo of Leslie Marmon Silko (Getty Images)
Lecture: Leslie Marmon Silko (20:16)
An Evening with Leslie Marmon Silko (51:54)
"Festival of Books: Native American authors honor Leslie Marmon Silko, next generation of indigenous writers,” by Aida Ylanan, Los Angeles Times, April 21, 2021
Silko, Leslie Marmon. Ceremony, a novel (Penguin, 2006)
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Silko, Leslie Marmon. Almanac of the Dead, a novel (Penguin, 1992)
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Silko, Leslie Marmon. Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the Spirit: Essays on Native American Life Today (Simon and Schuster, 1997)
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Silko, Leslie Marmon. Gardens in the Dunes, a novel (Simon and Schuster, 2000)
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Leslie Marmon Silko, How to Connect to Nature, Even in the City (5:09)
Photo of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“35 Free Speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Audio & Video”
Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech
Martin Luther King Jr's "I Have A Dream" Full Speech Restored (17:17)
I Have a Dream speech by Martin Luther King.Jr HD (subtitled) 6:46
James Earl Jones reads excerpts from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" (18:22)
Letter from a Birmingham Jail - Martin Luther King Jr. (48:38)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “I have been to the mountain top” (Ending of the Dr. King’s last speech), April 3, 1968. He was assassinated the next day. (3:27)
The link to his complete speech (43:05) is in also Chapter 8.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's Last Sunday Sermon (four days before his assassination): “Remaining Awake through a Great Revolution.” (47:26)
Transcript of Dr. King’s speech at Ohio Northern University.
In this speech, Dr. King demolishes the myth of the bootstraps philosophy and points out systemic injustice to blacks through the ages. Dr. Martin Luther King’s Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech (52:42)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in His Own Words, a “Democracy Now” special (59:05) It includes excerpts from his speeches titled “Beyond Vietnam” and “I Have Been to the Mountain Top”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” (53:46)
A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King Jr. (Harper and Row, 1986)
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King, Martin Luther. On NBC's Meet the Press (1965)
David Bromwich, “Martin Luther King’s Speech Against the Vietnam War,” Antiwar.com, May 16, 2008
Photo of Malcolm X
Who was Malcolm X (15:18). A TRT production (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation).
This production describes the contents of the video as follows: “Gangster, preacher, revolutionary. Malcolm X went from being a petty criminal to an internationally celebrated voice against racism and colonialism. This is the extraordinary transformation of a man who became a hero for generations.” Malcolm X: 50 years after murder (Democracy Now) 58:56.
Who Killed Malcolm X? A 5-part documentary series (explained on Democracy Now)
Malcolm X on police brutality (2:48)
Malcolm X by Hamza Yousuf (9:19)
Malcolm X’s final speech (6:35): Explains Islam and shows similarities with other faiths.
Photo of Toni Morrison paying a tribute to Chinua Achebe
Toni Morrison interviewed by Bill Moyers on her life and career (1990) 49:50
A Conversation with Toni Morrison, The New York Times. The author discusses her new novel, A Mercy, and the election of Barack Obama with Sam Tanenhaus, the editor of the Book Review.
Toni Morrison: Conversations (Literary Conversations Series), ed. Carolyn Denard (University Press of Mississippi, 2008)
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Remembering Toni Morrison's “beautiful human urgency,” PBS News Hour (9:31)
Toni Morrison Beautifully Answers an "Illegitimate" Question by Charlie Rose on Race (Jan. 19, 1998) 7:20
Toni Morrison on writing her novel, Beloved (1987 interview by Fresh Air) 26:33
Toni Morrison talks about her novel, Song of Solomon
Young Toni Morrison interview with WTTW’s John Callaway (1977) 6:42
The Radical Vision of Toni Morrison, The New York Times Magazine
Toni Morrison on race relations in America, The Guardian, April 20, 2015.
Chapter Six has brief introductory comments on Morrison’s works: Dreaming Emmett (a play)
and her novels, titled Beloved, Jazz, A Mercy, Paradise, and Home.
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Angela Davis and Toni Morrison (1:45)
Photo of Ali lighting the torch: Watched by billions across the globe, Muhammad Ali lighted the Olympic torch in 1996. Stricken with Parkinson’s Syndrome since 1984, he showed exemplary courage in the way he faced his illness.
Photo of Ali on winning the Olympic gold medal
“Muhammad Ali - Wake Up and Apologize (1972) 51:48
Muhammad Ali on Phil Donahue (1977)
Muhammad Ali Gives Stance on the Vietnam War on the Dick Cavett Show (7:53)
Muhammad Ali, The Greatest: My Own Story (Graymalkin Media; Illustrated edition, 2015)
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Photo of Fred Korematsu
Fred Korematsu Story: Vignettes from "Of Civil Wrongs and Rights" produced by Eric Fournier and clips from the Robert H. Jackson Center. (10:00)
“Of Civil Wrongs and Rights,” a documentary film about Fred Korematsu, directed by Eric Paul Fournier, PBS Premiere: July 10, 2001)
“Unfinished Business” (about Fred Korematsu, Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi, and one other), Academy Award nominee for best documentary
Photo of Oscar Lopez Rivera
“After 35 Years in Prison, Puerto Rican Activist Oscar López Rivera on Freedom & Decolonization” (8:54)
U.S. House of Representatives Member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: “Puerto Rico is a neo-colony."
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez discusses the Puerto Rico Status Act. If passed, the bill would call for a binding vote where Puerto Ricans would choose between independence, free association or statehood. May 19, 2022 (23:44) Oscar López Rivera: Resistance and Resilience (57:23)
Oscar Lopez Rivera, Between Torture and Resistance, ed. Luis Nieves Falcon, foreword by Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu (PM Press, 2013). This link gives access to most of the book.
Oscar Lopez Rivera, Letters to Karina, ed. Ana Lopez, Mariana Mcdonald, and others; English and Spanish edition. (Cartas a Karina Project; First edition: 2016)
Rivera’s beautifully crafted and moving "Hands on the Prison Glass” essays in the form of letters to his granddaughter Karina can be read at the National Boricua Center for Human Rights Center (NBHRN) site:
Oscar Lopez Rivera: “We Will Struggle Until Our Last Breath for Puerto Rican Independence,” interview with Breakthrough News (16:42)
U.S. Supreme Court ruling supports the view that Puerto Rico has been a U.S. Colony. Analyst: Juan Gonzales of Democracy Now (28:22)
“Are Puerto Ricans being pushed out?” (15:36)
Fighting for Paradise: Puerto Rico’s Future | CBS Reports (27:20)
War Against All Puerto Ricans: Inside the U.S. Crackdown on Pedro Albizu Campos & Nationalist Party. Democracy Now, April 21, 2015 (26:11)
Puerto Rico: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) April 24, 2016. (21:21)
Puerto Rico and the Legacy of Jim Crow (1:40:19)
The “Lion Man” Who Took on Puerto Rico's Government and Won (37:39)
Rachel Corrie’s photo
Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie (W. W. Norton, 2008)
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My Name is Rachel Corrie, a play by Alan Rickman based on the writings of Rachel Corrie (2005)
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Tom Dale. Rachel Corrie’s death—eyewitness attacks Israeli verdict. (2:05) Tom Dale, who witnessed the death of Rachel Corrie refutes the judgment of an Israeli court that the death of the American activist was "a regrettable accident."
“On the Brink of . . . for Rachel Corrie” (7:10). (video of Hammad reading her poem)
"Moving Towards Home," a poem by June Jordan:
“Apologies to all the people in Lebanon,” a poem by June Jordan:
Death of an Idealist (Rachel Corrie) by Concord Media (3:33)
The Electronic Intifada coverage on Rachel Corrie:
The International Solidarity Movement: “Rachel Corrie: Answers Needed”
“Remembering Rachel Corrie”
“Honoring Rachel Corrie”
MIFTAH: The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, “A Tribute to Rachel Corrie” (photo essay), March 19, 2003
Rovic, David. Song: “The Death of Rachel Corrie” by David Rovic (2:45)
Chapter 10 Movies
Description
URLs
An Evening with Leslie Marmon Silko (51:54)
Native American Novelists series: Leslie Marmon Silko (Films Media Group) 45 minutes. Link for the preview with a printed summary of the documentary’s contents
Director’s Choice: Leslie Marmon Silko (54:45)
"Legacy of a Dream" (a short documentary film on Dr. Martin Luther King narrated by James Earl Jones)“A powerful and motivating film, “Legacy of a Dream,” is an accurate account of Marin Luther King’s nonviolent Civil Rights Movement.
The film summarizes Dr. King’s public life and the changes his leadership brought.” (16mm Educational Films) 28:30 minutes
“Remembering MLK Jr.: Legacy of Courage and Inspiration,” produced by Real Stories (45:54)
“Selma,” directed by Ava DuVernay and written by Paul Webb, Selma first premiered in 2014, 2h 8m
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“King in the Wilderness,” an HBO documentary covers the last years of Dr. King’s life (2020), Trailer 2:14
“MLK/FBI, 2020” directed by Sam Pollard, release date: January 15, 2021 (1h 46m). Based on newly declassified files, this film reveals the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Who Killed Malcolm X? A 5-part 2020 documentary series
Malcolm X’s Daughter Ilyasah Shabazz on Her Father’s Legacy & the New Series “Who Killed Malcolm X?” Democracy Now (43:48)
“The Life of Toni Morrison” documentary (2015) 1:04:19
“Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,” directed by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, produced by Magnolia Pictures (2020)
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“Beloved,” directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, and Thandiwe Newton, based on Toni Morrison’s 1987 novel Beloved (1998)
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Toni Morrison: Profile of a Writer by Maya Cade (50:17)
Fred Korematsu Story: Vignettes from "Of Civil Wrongs and Rights" produced by Eric Fournier and clips from the Robert H. Jackson Center. (10:00)
"Of Civil Wrongs and Rights,” produced by Eric Fournier, two times Emmy Award winning documentary (24 mins)
“Unfinished Business” (about Fred Korematsu, Gordon Kiyoshi Hirabayashi, and one other), Academy Award nominee for best documentary
"The USA vs. Oscar Lopez Rivera," a one-hour documentary film, produced by Latino USA, narrated by Maria Hinojosa, includes interviews with Rivera, former FALN members, victims, and members of the FBI. The discussion of this film is available on Latino USA's website and podcasts:
Oscar Lopez Rivera. “The USA vs. Oscar Lopez River” by Jordan Levin, Miami Herald, February 1, 2017. Levin asks this question: Is Oscar Rivera an “Activist Hero or Terrorist?” According to him, “This Documentary Says He’s Both.”
“Rachel,” a documentary film directed by Simone Britton (2009)
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