The Faith of The Dreamer: One Woman´s Story of Racial Trauma and Healing

1968: An eager, idealistic African American student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia is denied the opportunity to receive her Studio Art degree by a racist professor who declares that “niggers aren’t smart enough to earn a degree from this department” and that her artwork is “too controversial”. 50 years later, Gwendolyn Payton—along with her family and peers— share through intimate interviews raw memories of racial trauma: “colored only” entrances, demoralizing taunts from white classmates and professors, racial terror that results in the murder of her teenage cousin. A chance (or perhaps fated) encounter echoes a core memory from Gwendolyn’s college days: a stranger steps forward offering a small act of empathy and kindness— leading to redress. Director Khary Payton (The Walking Dead’s King Ezekiel, Gwendolyn’s son) joins this collective reflection on the psychology of racial trauma, the healing power of lament and how an enduring, vibrant spirit can drown out darkness.