Dromm Hosts Screening of "Divided We Fall"

Daniel Dromm, the Queens Lesbian and Gay Pride Committee and the New Visions Democratic Club will host a very special screening of "Divided We Fall: Americans In The Aftermath", a powerful documentary film about the South Asian American, Arab-American & Sikh-American experience after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Valarie Kaur, the filmmaker, will appear to discuss the film afterwards. Thursday, September 11, 2008 7pm Jewish Center of Jackson Heights 37-06 77 Street, Jackson Heights

From Queens Chronicle:
When Daniel Dromm, a Democratic district leader who organized the event, first saw “Divided We Fall,” he found that the film paralleled some of the most difficult moments in his life as a gay man living in Queens, and wanted to bring the film to Jackson Heights, his community. The movie has found resonance in many different communities.

“There was a line in the film, when someone tells a Sikh man to stop wearing a turban,” Dromm said. “It reminded of people telling me to stay in the closet, that it would be easier. I choose to express my patriotism in this way, to bring diverse groups together.”

When the movie showed disturbing scenes of racism—for instance, one Sikh rescue worker pulled someone out of the rubble at Ground Zero, only to face harassment moments later on the streets in downtown Manhattan—one Queens resident found herself transported back to her memories of the racism she experienced as a Jewish child living in Germany, escaping to the United Kingdom right before the Holocaust.

“It made me want to apologize, that people in America are feeling this,” said Hannah Deutch, who later found a safe home in Queens, New York, but felt her experiences come back together during the film screening. “Tears were running down my cheeks.”