Moonlight Reflection

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Students and natives from all around Baltimore joined R.E.A.C.H at Johns Hopkins University to watch what would be the last showing of “Moonlight” on Thursday, December 1 before it left the city. The movie ran from 6pm to 8:50pm followed by a panel discussion on race, sexuality and HIV prevention. This was an ideal day to end the movie showing with such a powerful panel discussion because it was World AIDS Day 2016. The minds of people who attended were already aware of such problems plaguing black urban communities and so the event served as a reminder and sweet ending to a day known worldwide. Moonlight is a story based on the life of a young black male from childhood to adulthood, struggling to figure out who he is and where he belonged in the world. Knowing that the following panel discussion surrounded such topics as sexuality, the main character obviously struggled growing up with homosexuality. “Moonlight shines on my own coming of age story,” said community outreach specialist of R.E.A.C.H John Benton-Denny. “I too was picked on and bullied in school for being my authentic self, but I knew I …show more content…

The entire panel consisted only of gay men. One of the Panelists, Mr. Eli Onyx had this to say: “You have to learn from your parents or those who have raised you. You can 't go out and be a bird or a bee unless you are taught how to be a bird or a be.” The main character of moonlight was traumatized by his mother and had no father. An audience member stood up in rebuttal stating this: “Everyone 's life experience is different. Instead of this notion of your parents should teach you, you should be able to get it at some other point in life and rediscover who you are. It starts with the individual.” In response to that statement, panelist Kenneth Morrison had this to say: “It is easier to repair a child than to build a broken man” explaining that development begins within early childhood

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