The Emanuel movie offers a sobering reminder of our nation’s unresolved struggle to free itself from the demons of white supremacy and racial hatred. It also serves as an inspiring testament to the transformative power of forgiveness and highlights the urgent need for deeper racial reconciliation and justice. Emanuel is filled with themes tied to forgiveness, repentance, repair, and, ultimately, the ever present and costly demands of justice. For many viewers, the film will cause anguish and discomfort, because it forces us to look in the mirror and see the battered soul of our nation.
Emanuel honors the lives and legacy of the Emanuel Nine. Displaying their stories, told by their beloved relatives, helps to ensure that memories of them will live on, and that their executions will not be in vain. The courageous witness of their surviving relatives has the power to transform hearts and minds and catalyze commitment to repairing the breach caused by racism in our country—which, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. argued, wounds and imprisons both the oppressed and the oppressor.
This discussion guide is designed to provide tools and resources to help leaders facilitate a discussion after watching the Emanuel movie, whether in a theater after a screening, in a church setting, or a small group setting. These questions are not meant to serve as a rigid template but, instead, provide a flexible framework to foster dialogue around the core themes of the film.