United Through Engagement: Real Life Stories of Reconciliation

media release: From executive producer Malala Yousafzai and director Joshua Seftel comes ‘Stranger at the Gate,’ a 2023 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Short Film that tells one story of how an act of compassion can stop an act of hate.

An Afghan refugee named Bibi Bahrami — and the members of her Indiana mosque — encounter a U.S. Marine, Richard “Mac” McKinney, who has a secret plot to bomb their mosque. But when they come face to face, the Marine’s plan takes an unexpected turn toward grace, transformation and hope.

On March 20, Bibi Bahrami and Mac McKinney will join for a screening and panel discussion on the film along with Masood Akhtar, president and founder of We are Many – United Against Hate.

The event is co-hosted by the Division of Diversity, Equity & Educational Achievement and the Division for Teaching and Learning.

Date: March 20, 2024, 3:00–4:30 p.m., Marquee Cinema, Union South

Schedule of events

• 3 p.m. Welcome Remarks by Chief Diversity Officer Dr. LaVar J. Charleston
• 3:15 p.m. Masood Akhtar, president and founder, We are Many – United Against Hate
• 3:30 p.m. Screening of Stranger at the Gate
• 4 p.m. Panel conversation with Richard “MAC” McKinney and Bibi Bahrami, moderated by John Zumbrunnen, senior vice provost for academic affairs and vice provost for Teaching & Learning