Last week local documentarian Pam Powell and her team premiered Origins, the first film of the Bending the Arc documentary series.

This film will discuss the origins of racism in Alabama as part of the larger series that aims to dissect the total history of racism in the state through the lens of black storytellers and white allies.

The Bending the Arc project is a partnership between Powell’s team and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham. To watch Origins, visit the church website at UU Church of Birmingham – YouTube. Powell said the film will be available to the public between Mar. 3-5.

Powell said she hopes people watching the series will be as enlightened about the struggle for race in Alabama as she was making it.

When did the Bending the Arc project first begin and what was the moment that led you to pursue this?