Off and Running screens at MSUM Feb. 17
More about Off and Running
Off and Running is the story of Brooklyn teenager Avery, a track star with a bright future. She is the adopted African-American child of white Jewish lesbians. Her older brother is black and Puerto Rican, and her younger brother is Korean. Though it may not look typical, Avery’s household is like most American homes — until Avery writes to her birth mother. The response throws her into crisis. She struggles over her “true” identity, the circumstances of her adoption and her estrangement from black culture. When it seems as if her life is unraveling, Avery decides to pick up the pieces and make sense of her identity, with inspiring results.
Film preview and details.
Kim Park Nelson, who teaches in the MSUM American Multicultural Studies Department, organized the screening and will be Avery’s official host. We’re excited for this unique opportunity to engage with Avery and her story and spend time thinking and talking about race and American identity in the 21st century, and would love to have you—and any friends, students, or colleagues you’d like to invite—in the room.