The atmosphere in Keller Hall Monday for the screening and discussion of “The Two Towns of Jasper” — a documentary film about the racially motivated murder of a Texas man, was open and calm.
The event moderator, Marsha Hardeman, began the event by asking the packed crowd questions like, “How many of you have been involved in a racist or discriminative situation?” Very few people raised their hands. Hardeman then asked what people’s reactions were after learning about the events that took place in Texas in 1998. The answers ranged from horrified to unconcerned.
ASUNM, the South West Film Center, Student Special Events and African American Student Services presented this one-time UNM screening of “The Two Towns of Jasper.”
“I hope that this will create discussion and awareness that this subject matter is still around in today’s society,” said Sarah McKinney, executive director of Student Special Events.
“The Two Towns of Jasper” tells the story of James Byrd Jr., a black man that was brutally murdered by three white men in Jasper, Texas on June 7, 1998. Byrd was beaten and dragged behind a pickup truck for three miles to his death.
An all-white film crew documented the white community exclusively, and an all black crew filmed the black community.
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The documentary goes into depth about the trials of John William King, Lawrence Russell and Shawn Berry, three white men accused of being racially motivated to murder Byrd.
Throughout the movie there were themes of racism, segregation as well as an effort to strive for unity.
“Maybe I’m naãve, but this stuff still happens,” said Anika Wilson, a black student at UNM. “Where I was brought up I never looked at racism like that.”
“I hope that we will have had a chance to learn a lot from each other tonight,” Hardeman said.
