A national tour that has made its way to more than 50 other cities made its way to Fresno̢۪s Radio Park, featuring a local̢۪s film.
“Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath.â€Â was shown at the Tamejavi Cultural Festival on Sept. 22. Many different stories of prejudice and fear are depicted in the film, based off of a Clovis resident’s Senior Thesis.
Valarie Kaur, a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Divinity School, may not seem at first to have motivation to become a crusader against hate crimes.
But Kaur, 26, is Sikh. The bearded, turban-wearing Sikhs have mistakenly been identified as the face of terrorism in post- Sept. 11 America.̢۬
Kaur said in the film that she went on her quest and shared the stories with a goal of mutual understanding and peace.
“ [I made this film] so other people don’t look at a turban and see an enemy where I see a friend,â€Â Kaur said.

Kaur was inspired to set out across the country to document stories of hate crimes against Middle Eastern Americans after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers. Kaur went to work on her thesis after hearing reports of a Sikh man who was shot and killed in a hate crime in Mesa, Ariz. just days after Sept. 11.
But what started out as a paper for her senior thesis project at Stanford turned into the documentary film “Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath,â€Â based on what Kaur found.
“I did not plan to make this film,â€Â Kaur said in her blog about her experiences in traveling and working on it.
“It planned to make me, or unmake me. It appeared before me like a terrible wondrous whirlwind, and although my fear made me hesitate, I took a deep breath and stepped into it, into the whirlwind.â€Â

A defining moment for Kaur was when she visited Ground Zero.
She interviewed a Sikh businessman who witnessed the second plane crash into the World Trade Center and minutes later was chased through the streets of New York City by men shouting “terrorist.â€Â
She found many other examples of social unrest as she traveled to Sacramento, San Francisco, San Diego and many other cities.
Kaur even flew to India and interviewed the widow of the first Sikh man killed who inspired her journey.̢۬
Kaur could not accompany the film to her hometown, but associate producer Judge S. Brar, who happens to be her father, was on hand to present and discuss her work.̢۬
One of Brar̢۪s main goals in producing his daughter̢۪s documentary was to teach people the difference between Sikhs and Muslims, and to show that Sikhs and Muslims in America are not terrorists.̢۬
“The biggest thing is [people] learn that the way people look does not make them non-American or American,â€Â Brar said. “We are all American.â€Â

Brar said that the response to the film has been outstanding.
He told a story of an eighth-grade girl who saw the film and said she was no longer afraid of men who wore turbans.
“That was it, simple,â€Â he said. “Just that was worth making the movie… If we can get to these young minds.â€Â

“Divided We Fallâ€Â
“Divided We Fallâ€Â has earned best documentary awards at multiple film festivals. Valerie Kaur hopes to release the film on DVD in 2008.
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For more information on “Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath,â€Â visit www.dwf-film.com.
