New Memphis campaign encourages empathy, conversations
In the wake of events last year, including the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, three Memphis organizations came together to brainstorm about how to encourage empathy and conversations in a divided United States.
The 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis was upon them as they talked about the smoldering social tensions and vitriol in the country.
“I think we all felt a responsibility to do something,” said Cynthia Ham, president and CEO of BRIDGES, the Memphis-based youth leadership organization.
Through a partnership between the National Civil Rights Museum, BRIDGES, the international education organization Facing History and Ourselves and filmmaker Matteo Servente, a new digital campaign to promote understanding among people of different backgrounds and opposing views was born. The organizations announced the initiative, called “Open Up. Spark A Connection,” on Thursday in the museum’s auditorium.
“Open communication doesn’t allow us to hide behind our biases, because it exposes them,” Servente said. “Differences in the way we think and look should be a resource but are too often perceived as a threat. The goal of the campaign is to show that the closer we get to each other, the less we have to fear.”
The campaign features a short film in which a diverse group of people speak to each other using a string of tin cans that suddenly catch on fire, stopping their dialogue. They look fearfully at one another until 8-year-old LaLa Maldonado steps into their circle and whispers to them. She causes each one to approach their neighbor and have a deeper conversation. “As we were talking about empathy, we wanted to make sure that what we were presenting was something that didn’t push people away, but actually drew people in,” said Terri Lee Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum. “Matteo’s vision was one that was very positive, but also made you really think. It was just a wonderful way for us to focus on thinking about the person next to you. Open up as you move forward, and talk to people, really get to know them.”
For more information, sparkaconnection.org. visit