Shattering the Silences: the Case for Minority Faculty

While legislators and political pundits are rushing to bury affirmative action, this film makes a timely and compelling case for the recruitment of minority faculty (as both mentors and scholars) so that "unheard voices can be heard," and minority concerns, ideas, and scholarship can be brought into the formerly white male bastion of academia. We meet professors of Native American, Asian American, African American, and Latino ancestry, who discuss--with pride and honesty--their achievements together with the prices they've paid along the way, including isolation and stress in their domestic lives. Finally, we see them teaching, interacting with students, researching, and performing faculty duties. The film is careful to present both sides of the debate, but the articulate, committed men and women shown here make a most persuasive case for preserving affirmative action. Although a bit long and repetitive, this film is recommended for education and civil rights collections. Aud: C. (S. Rees)