Documentary & Reflections 25: Orange, a shade of black

Join us for an evening of documentary and conversation!

We’ll gather from 7:00 PM, and the documentary will start right at 7:30 PM — don’t be late.

Come watch, reflect, and discuss together. A powerful story deserves a shared moment.We are thrilled to welcome Dawn Nguyen, the filmmaker behind Orange: A Shade of Black, who will join us in person. Dawn will introduce her documentary and stay for a Q&A session after the screening. It’s a unique chance to explore the story behind the film and ask our questions directly.

Orange: A Shade of Black chronicles the journey of the Clemons, one of the first African American families to integrate suburban Orange County, California.

In the early 1970s, seeking better schools and safety for their four children, they left Watts, a segregated Black enclave in Los Angeles, for a region historically shaped by "sundown towns," where racial minorities were excluded after dark. Behind California’s global image of progressive freedom lay strictly segregated suburbs, where the family sought refuge only to be shadowed by a sudden, devastating tragedy.

Through intimate interviews and archival home video, the film contrasts decades of apparent suburban peace against lingering loss and the racial fractures resurfaced during the 2016 election. Set in a county where Black residents comprise just 2% of the community, it is a raw look at what it truly costs to carve out a home.