National Press Club

NPC Headliners Screening: "Religion, Racism, and Reconciliation"

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Mar 7 2025

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Mar 7, 2025 at 6:00pm

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Ballroom

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Cecily Scott Martin

[email protected]

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Headliner

Join us at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, March 7 for a screening of the documentary Religion, Racism & Reconciliation. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the role religion plays in perpetuating and dismantling systemic racism in America with the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, Ph.D and the founding Director of the Georgetown University Center on Faith and Justice Jim Wallis.

The film explores how racism has intertwined with American religion, focusing on individuals and communities of faith working to address issues such as voting rights, income inequality, and mass incarceration. Through interviews with academic and religious leaders, the documentary examines the contradiction of an American society that values freedom and equality while grappling with its history of slavery, segregation, and racism. It also highlights the role of religion in both fueling racial division and promoting healing and reconciliation. 

The film was produced by National Press Club members Gerald Krell and Adam Krell and premiered on PBS on February 24th, 2025.

Doors to the National Press Club Ballroom open at 5:30 p.m. to allow attendees time to order a drink from the bar and mingle. To submit a question in advance for the speaker, put RECONCILIATION in the subject line and email it to [email protected]. The deadline for submitting questions in advance is 2 p.m. on the day of the screening. 

The film’s teaser can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/1008164844 

 

The Rev. Kelly Brown Douglas, Ph.D. is currently the visiting professor of Theology at Harvard Divinity School. From 2017 to 2023, she was Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School at Union Theological Seminary and Professor of Theology. She was named the Bill and Judith Moyers Chair in Theology at Union in November 2019 where she is now Dean emeritus. She served as interim Dean of the Episcopal Divinity School from 2023-2024. During the 2023 fall term, she served as Honorary Professor of Global Theology at Emmanuel Theological College in Liverpool, England.

Ordained as an Episcopal Priest in 1983, she currently serves as the Canon Theologian at the Washington National Cathedral and Anglican Communion Canon at Newcastle Cathedral in Newcastle, England.

Prior to EDS@Union, Douglas served as Professor of Religion at Goucher College where she held the Susan D. Morgan Professorship of Religion and is now Professor Emeritus. Before Goucher, she was Associate Professor of Theology at Howard University School of Divinity (1987-2001) and Assistant Professor of Religion at Edward Waters College (1986-1987). Douglas holds a master’s degree in theology and a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Union.

Douglas is the author of many articles and several books including the 2023 Grawemeyer Award winning book, Resurrection Hope: A Future Where Black Lives Matter. Her academic work has focused on womanist theology, racial justice issues as well as sexuality and the Black church. Her current research interest involves expanding the moral imaginary in fostering a more just future.

Douglas proudly serves on the New York City Homeless Coalition Board and the Public Religion and Research Institute Board.

Jim Wallis is the inaugural holder of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu Chair in Faith and Justice at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, and the Director of its new Center on Faith and Justice. He served on President Obama’s first White House Advisory Council on Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships, and is the author of multiple New York Times bestselling books, including his latest book, The False White Gospel: Rejecting Christian Nationalism, Reclaiming True Faith, and Refounding Democracy, which was released on April 2nd, 2024 and is available wherever you buy books. In 2022 and 2023, Washingtonian magazine named Wallis one of the 500 most influential people shaping policy in DC. Wallis is also the founder of Sojourners.

Adam Krell is a documentary producer with over 20 years of experience.  He’s worked on seven award-winning feature length documentaries for public television including:  “Religion, Racism & Reconciliation”, “Guru Nanak: The Founder of Sikhism” and “Your Health: A Sacred Matter”.  

He produced the World Affairs Council of Washington, DC, long running international affairs event series. Guests on the program have included Nobel Laureate Economist Joseph Stiglitz, General Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, Senator Dianne Feinstein, and General Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA.

For clients, The Washington Post, he created a series of videos on work-life at The Post and has produced videos for their special events, marketing and social media.

He has also produced content for clients such as: JW Aluminum, for whom he created an award-winning ten-part series of training modules; The Willard InterContinental Hotel, producing documentaries on the hotel’s history and highlighting the hotel’s environmental sustainability programs; The American Institute for Architects, and The Confucius Institute.

He’s travelled internationally for film projects from Mexico to Tanzania. As videographer, his work was notably seen in the documentary, “Ashes of American Flags: Wilco Live”, broadcast nationally on the Sundance Channel.

Gerald Krell is President of Auteur Productions, a Producer/Director on our documentary projects. Before founding Auteur he traveled around the world creating documentaries for the United States Information Agency (USIA).

He has produced and directed award-winning national public television interfaith documentaries including most recently: “Religion, Racism & Reconciliation”

Previously he produced and directed, “The Asian & Abrahamic Religions: A Divine Encounter in America,” of which The Toronto Globe and Mail TV reviewer said: “Beautifully made and meant to educate solidly about shared religious beliefs… it’s one it’s one of those important docs to be aired.”  It was an official selection of the Sun Valley Spiritual Film Festival.

“Three Faiths, One God: Judaism, Christianity, Islam”, which The New York Times called: “A thought provoking PBS documentary.”

“Jews and Christians: A Journey of Faith” – The Seattle Post-Intelligencer said: “As a thoughtful guide to respect and tolerance ‘A Journey of Faith’ may have no peer. The documentary is a choice example of thorough reporting and brilliant editing.”

Mr. Krell also produced and directed the documentary “The National Press Club: A Century of Headlines,” covering key journalistic issues like freedom of the press, bias in the news and secrecy in government. He is a member of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Video

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