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Black History Film Series

Messages ‘resonated’

New York Teacher

About 200 UFT members celebrated Black History Month by attending the sixth annual Black History Film Series at UFT headquarters in Manhattan. This year’s films were “Back to Natural,” a documentary about hair, politics and racial identity, which screened on Feb. 13, and “College Behind Bars,” a documentary about a group of incarcerated people struggling to earn college degrees, which screened on Feb. 27. UFT Secretary LeRoy Barr, who served on the committee that organized the event, said the films’ messages “truly resonated” with the audience, the largest to date for the film series. Debra Edmund, a teacher at PS 119 in the Flatlands section of Brooklyn, said she comes every year because it’s a chance to “see and discuss things from educators’ points of view.” Edmund said she especially enjoys the group discussions that follow the films. After “Back to Natural,” she said, she found herself reflecting on “how to love your hair and love yourself.”