Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath

The Minneapolis YWCA's upcoming Forum on Race features a fascinating film on race and religion in America and the remarkable woman, and Yale Law Student, behind that film.

On Monday, November 9, at 7 p.m., the Southern Theater will show Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath. The film is a feature-length documentary film on hate violence in America post-September 11, 2001. The film follows the journey of 20 year-old college student Valarie Kaur as she records crimes against Sikhs and Muslims in the immediate aftermath of the World Trade Center attacks and examines the larger question of who is truly allowed to be American.

Then, on Tuesday, November 10, at 11:30 to 1:30, Valarie Kaur will be the keynote speaker at a luncheon presentation. In addition to her work on the film, as a third generation Sikh American, she is a writer, public speaker, and lecturer in religion and ethics. Valarie presently studies the intersections between religion and law at Yale Law School and serves as founding director of the Discrimination and National Security Initiative at the Harvard Pluralism Project.

Earlier that day, from 8 a.m to 10 a.m., Valarie will present a two hour CLE interdisciplinary workshop for attorneys and law students on legal responses to race and religion in post-9/11 America. The title is: Law as Sword and Shield: A Progressive Approach to Race in Post-9/11 America.

Registration for all the events can be found on the YWCA's website.