The L.O.V.E. message was well received
This past Tuesday, Howard County Community College held a screening of the documentary WALKING WHILE BLACK: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer, but it was so much more than a simple film screening.
The documentary, directed by Howard County resident AJ Ali, is about what can be done in order to mend relations between Black communities and the police force. It came about after Ali realized he had been racially profiled by Howard County police. But instead of holding onto that anger he initially felt, he turned his movie into a positive message about the importance of bringing peace to these communities by working together, striving for a better future for police-community relations.
Film Screening and Discussion
On Tuesday at 5:30 pm, students, members of the community, people associated with the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer movement, and more, gathered in a room in the Rouse Company Student Services building for this screening. The event opened with a free dinner for attendees, followed by opening remarks. Speakers included Dr. Daria Willis, President of HCC; Deb Jung, Howard County Councilmember (Dist 4); Willie Flowers, President of the NAACP Howard County; Dr. Tracey Williams of the African American Community Roundtable; and AJ Ali, director of the film. All speakers emphasized the importance of this event and this movement for the community, setting the tone for a collaborative, celebratory, solutions-oriented evening.
The film got many reactions from its audience. The stories of Black individuals being profiled by police got sighs, winces, gasps, even some members averting their eyes and shaking their heads. But as the film continued, the message of love and unity was empowering and uplifting, and there was applause at the conclusion of the film.
After the film, there was a panel discussion, moderated by AACR member Trent Williams, featuring director AJ Ali, cast members from the documentary Clif Wright, Randy Nixon, and Deputy Chief Terrence Benn of the Howard County Police Department.
Inspiration to Pivot Away from Anger
Ali spoke about his inspiration for the film — how it was initially going to be an angry film that was resentful of the police force, until an epiphany he had on a beach in Hawaii caused him to change the angle of the film to be more forgiving and about community. Ali said, “And from that moment on, is when WALKING WHILE BLACK — which was going to be a very vindictive film just to get bad cops fired period…that’s when L.O.V.E. Is The Answer became the subtitle. And that’s why you see this film right here.”
Deputy Chief Benn spoke about the ways the Howard County police department does its best to address and correct prejudice within the department before it can cause harm to civilians in the line of duty, as well as councils and groups that connect the police with their community.
A Loved One Lost
Wright, a cast member on the film and a social worker, gave an emotional response on the panel about how he lost a close family member due to police violence, and how this film and this movement are important in being able to stop things like that from happening. “I came to this from that kid on the street, who lost his cousin who was like my brother, and I found a way to make a difference, to use my life, a purposeful living,” Wright said, encouraging attendees to embrace the teachings of Ali’s movement to help out their communities.
Nixon, the final panel member, recalled how close he was to this film, and how special it and the movement are to him. He also stated his hope and expectation to cause great change with the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer movement, not just in Howard County where it began, but beyond.
Truth Thomas, Howard County’s Poet Laureate, closed out the panel discussion with a short but moving poem about Black victims of police violence.
Wisdom Discovered in Group Discussions
After the panel attendees discussed in groups led by attending HCC students, many of whom were from the Silas Craft Collegians Program, what impact the film had on them and what they can do to put L.O.V.E. into action in their own communities.
“L.O.V.E.” in the context of Ali’s movement L.O.V.E Is The Answer stands for “LEARN about people, OPEN your heart to their needs, VOLUNTEER to be part of the solution in their lives, and EMPOWER others to do the same”.
After group discussions, the students spoke to the whole room about what their group had talked about, conclusions for making a difference they had come to, such as connecting with neighbors or having police in communities actually be from those communities, and some shared personal stories of dealing with racism and discrimination in their lives. The atmosphere of the room was reassuring and supportive with the students and their ideas and stories being heard out and encouraged.
Two Local Schools Adopted
At the end of the event Ali announced that L.O.V.E. Is The Answer would be adopting two schools in Howard County — Lake Elkhorn Middle and Cradlerock Elementary to help the school communities with anything they needed such as monetary donations, community events, and school beautification. Community school site coordinator Cindy Drummond spoke on behalf of those schools with a list of ways for L.O.V.E. Is The Answer to help out, and thanked Ali and the movement for their generosity.
Ali also announced that moving forward, L.O.V.E. Is The Answer will commit to donating 50% of all profits to giving back to communities in Howard County and that the two schools are the start of their commitment.
Dr. Tracey Williams of the AACR said in her closing remarks to the attendees, “Go forward and make a difference.” And that is what attendees of this event are setting out to do.
Ali’s website for the L.O.V.E. Is The Answer movement can be accessed here: https://trylovenow.com/
This article was written by freelance reporter Megan Duffy.
This article was revised on 12/13/2024 to update the title of the movie to reflect the trademark.
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