Sacred Activists hope films will prompt action

A group of Sacred Activists in Charlotte are hoping a new film series will spark some righteous indignation.

“Speaking Truth to Power: The Justice Series” begins March 23 at Unity of Charlotte. The first movie is “What a Way to Go: Life at the End of Empire,” a 2007 documentary about a middle-class man dealing with issues such as climate change and mass extinction.

A discussion will follow each movie, which the Sacred Activists hope will be only the beginning.

“I hope it will motivate people to action and realize we can do a lot of things to make this world a better place,” said the Rev. Nancy Ennis, minister of Unity of Charlotte and a member of Sacred Activists.

Charlotte’s Sacred Activists were founded after author and activist Andrew Harvey visited Unity of Charlotte in 2012. Harvey founded the spiritual activism movement, which calls for “wise radical action” based on compassion in the world.

George Ennis, also a member of Sacred Activists, said about three years ago he discovered independent television such as Link TV and Free Speech TV that are supported by viewers rather than sponsors.

He said the programs provide “an unbridled look at the situation around the world,” which led him to believe such information should be provided to more people.

Ennis was part of the founding group, which now meets twice a month at Unity of Charlotte.

The group is not about politics, said Ennis, who has served as a spokesperson for Charlotte’s Sacred Activists.

“We are taking a stand to look at places around the world where injustices are being perpetrated on the people and on the planet and doing what we can as a small group to right some of these wrongs,” he said. “We have no political agenda other than speaking truth to power and looking for justice.”

The group has filled a wall at Unity of Charlotte with framed photographs of activists they admire, including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Jesus. Ennis described them as “extremely spiritual beings” who also were politically savvy.

The group now draws as many as 12 people to meetings, where they discuss injustices and “what we can do as a very, very small group of people looking to write some wrongs and trying to do it from where we are, which is basically unfunded and only having a desire to change the status quo and make it more just,” Ennis said.

Ennis said the wall of photos has generated a lot of discussion at Unity of Charlotte, and the group now plans to start a meditation program.

The next film in its new series is “Thrive,” a documentary by Foster Gamble, heir to the Proctor & Gamble fortune.

All are welcome to attend screenings and Sacred Activist meetings, regardless of faith affiliation.