Written by Sherman Alexie
Directed by Chris Eyre
Released by Miramax Films, June 1999

Featuring the winner of the Audience Award and Filmmaker’s Trophy Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, Smoke Signals is the story of two Indian boys on a journey. Victor (Adam Beach) is the stoic, handsome son of an alcoholic father who has abandoned his family. Thomas (Evan Adams) is a gregarious, goofy young man who lost both his parents in a fire at a very young age.

Through storytelling, Thomas makes every effort to connect with the people around him; Victor, in contrast, uses his quiet countenance to gain strength and confidence. When Victor's estranged father dies, the two men embark on an adventure to Phoenix to collect the ashes. Along the way, Smoke Signals illustrates the ties that bind these two very different young men and embraces the lessons they learn from one another.

Evan Adams, MD, Aboriginal Health Physician Advisor, Ministry of Health, Office of the Provincial Health Officer—Victoria, BC Canada (Facilitator)

Join friends, colleagues and first-time NCORE attendees at Epcot®. Enjoy food and good company while watching IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth (nightly fireworks).

Transportation will be provided. Tickets to the Welcoming Reception for guests, spouses, and children will be made available for purchase in the near future.

Follow Me Home is a defiant, humorous, poetic tale exploring race and identity in the United States. Weaving together traditions of Native, African and Latin cultures, this feature film, called “a work of genius” by Alice Walker, follows the quest of four artists (Jesse Borrego, Benjamin Bratt, Calvin Levels and Steve Reevis) who are joined by Evey (Alfre Woodard), an enigmatic African American woman on a journey of her own.

The screening will be followed by an engaging post-screening discussion with long-time Native American activist Lakota Harden, actor Calvin Levels, diversity activist Hugh Vasquez, anti-racism activist Tim Wise and Speak Out Executive Director Felicia Gustin.

Please visit: www.speakoutnow.org

Blending grace and emotion, THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY DANCE presents Retrograde, a thought-provoking contemporary ballet about the journey from revolution to reconciliation. Daring choreography, powerful music and poetic storytelling collide in this exploration of the truths we hold, the conflicts we create and the paths we take to rediscover our fundamental connection to one another. Moving between sorrow and joy, Retrograde, above all else, is a celebration of hope, determination and the relentless search for unity.

Home to four professional dance companies, a dance education center and an art gallery, THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY DANCE, INC. is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to fostering the traditions of contemporary dance in Central Florida and beyond. THE CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY DANCE,

Please visit: www.TheCenterForDance.org

Enjoy an evening of music and dance sponsored by the John D. O’Bryant National Think Tank for Black Professionals in Higher Education on Predominantly White Campuses (JDOTT), a national association that has developed through the efforts of members of NCORE’s African American Networking Group.

Saturday, May 31—9:00 a.m.–noon
Heart-to-Heart Conversation®: Mirror of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible (PART I—Rivers of Change)
World Trust presents an interactive dialogue session using two nationally acclaimed films by Dr. Shakti Butler (The Way Home and Light in the Shadows). The Way Home captures the stories of eight separate ethnic councils of women and their experiences of race in the United States. Light in the Shadows provides a provocative film context that invites white women and women of color to stay at the table with one another, even when the conversation gets tough. The prominent voices of women of color express perceptions that are often unheard in general conversations. This will be an experiential presentation and journey into issues of oppression through the lens of race. The purpose of this session is to (1) support intensive critical self-inquiry related to unconscious bias, internalized issues and institutionalized systems of oppression; (2) provide opportunities for transformative learning by unearthing new questions related to conscious and unconscious embedded assumptions; (3) stimulate new ideas for taking action that interrupts patterns and systems of behavior linked to oppression.

Saturday, May 31—1:30–3:30 p.m.
Heart-to-Heart Conversation®: Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible (PART II—Rivers of Change)

You are invited to spend some time with filmmaker and lecturer, Shakti Butler unwrapping, healing, learning and transforming unconscious aspects of bias, privilege and racism. We will work with Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible, a film that explores the invisibility of whiteness and its relationship to race, power and privilege. We will spend time building community together, will gather and use the power and truth found within our own stories, and will use these stories to distinguish and analyze racism at three distinct levels—personal/interpersonal, community/cultural and institutional/systemic. Participants will have an opportunity to journal, engage in reflective silence, hear lectures and participate in dialogue. By probing our deeply embedded beliefs, assumptions and behaviors we can make them visible. Through an approach, which includes a practice of forgiveness—in tandem with accountability—we seek to illumine possibilities for creating a new action story; a story of truth, justice and empowerment. This dialogue session illustrates the magnitude of unconscious bias that must be revealed if we are to think critically, address and heal issues of race in this country. We, at World Trust, are interested in spending focused time with you towards participation in the creation of the kind of world that we want to live in and to leave for those who will follow.

Shakti Butler, Ph.D., Executive Director of World Trust Educational Services, Inc.; Producer, Director, The Way Home, Light in the Shadows, and Mirror of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible

Larger Than Life

John Carlos, Ph.D., Sports Activist, Olympian, 1968 Olympic in Mexico City

During his stay at San Jose State University, John Carlos participated in the 1968 Mexico Olympics and won the bronze medal in the 200 meters. During the victory ceremony, John and Tommy Smith raised a black gloved fist in protest against racism and economic oppression. This “silent Protest” was voted as the sixth most memorable event of the century.

Dr. John Carlos tells young people all around the country that it depends on you! Do not let anyone steal your dream. Some will tell you that you cannot. Some will tell you that you are good at something else. Very few will see the talent that lies within your heart. Follow your Dreams! Do not be or get discouraged!

Actor and activist Danny Glover presents his new film "Bamako." It is a fictional film set in Mali, the plot revolves around a trial that pits the people of Bamako against the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Joslyn Barnes, Co-executive Producer

Danny Glover. Actor and activist who is the executive producer of "Bamako." He is a co-founder of Louverture Films and serves as chair of the board of TransAfrica Forum. He is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from Amnesty International.

Please visit: www.NewYorkerFilms.com