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Karen Bauerle has two children in school in Belmont, Mass., a wealthy suburb of Boston whose education system 鈥渃ould really benefit from some facilitation regarding issues of race,鈥� she says. So when she heard about a chance to set up a 鈥渨atch group鈥� to discuss a new 10-part documentary that delves into race and educational equity, she eagerly signed on.

鈥淧eople like myself, identifying as Caucasian,... need to be honest [about] the continuation of segregation in society, racism.... I want to be part of this change,鈥� she says, explaining what brought her to the Boston Public Library Sept. 13 for a screening of an episode of 鈥淎merica to Me鈥� 鈥撀燼 kickoff event before the small watch groups start discussing the documentary and how it connects to their communities.

For the STARZ series, filmmaker Steve James and his crew followed teachers, students, and families at Oak Park and River Forest High School (OPRF) in the diverse Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Ill. It鈥檚 a place that has avoided the racial isolation that鈥檚 common in many schools and neighborhoods across the US. But the series begins to聽unpack the complexities that arise, and the damage that can be done, when layers of racial bias and structural inequity linger, even in desegregated liberal bastions.

Participant Media and local partners are promoting 鈥淎merica to Me鈥� in a 10-city tour 鈥� urging communities to use 聽that offer an episode-by-episode structure for conversations people are hungry to have, but perhaps lack a good recipe to follow. So far, nearly 8,000 people have signed up to participate in watch groups.

Many of the protagonists in the series are students of color, and their interactions with teachers run the gamut from genuine friendship to awkward coexistence. The stories of the chatty cheerleader, the biracial spoken-word enthusiast, the overscheduled wrestler, and so many more 鈥� full of universal angst, humor, and drama 鈥� will resonate widely.

鈥淏y walking in the shoes of these kids, you see the world through their eyes鈥�. You can make visible 鈥� and make personal what otherwise feels like something happening to other people,鈥� says Holly Gordon, chief impact officer of Participant Media, which also produced 鈥淲aiting for 鈥楽uperman.鈥� 鈥�

A community screening聽

In Boston, the 300-plus audience erupted with murmurs of dismay as a scene from episode 4 unfolded, with a white science teacher so eager to show his black students that he relates to them that he crossed the line into stereotyping and denigrating. He seemed utterly unaware how upsetting his words were, but for the audience watching the students鈥� faces, it was obvious.

鈥淗e just came at it all wrong,鈥� said Lauren Reinhold after the event. She was one of several dozen young people recognizable at the screening by their red jackets with the logo of City Year, a youth service corps that supports urban schools. Ms. Reinhold is white and grew up in New Hampshire, and her training is preparing her for working with students of different racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Courtesy of Kenny Vu Photography

City Year members sign up for the America to Me: Real Talk campaign 鈥� which delves into issues of race and equity 鈥� during a documentary screening Sept. 13 at the Boston Public Library. The event was organized by Participant Media and Boston School Finder, a group that helps parents make informed choices.

鈥淎 big part of it is humility,鈥� not going into the classrooms with the idea that we鈥檙e going to 鈥榮ave鈥� the kids. We wear red jackets, not red capes,鈥� she says.

Ms. Bauerle also cringed at the scene, but later confessed: 鈥淚鈥檓 afraid that I鈥檓 like that sometimes 鈥� that I can think I understand things about race when in fact, I鈥檓 just in my own echo chamber.鈥�

She was eager to watch more episodes, and wondered if the teacher would redeem himself as the series unfolds.

鈥淎merica to Me鈥� is 鈥渁n honest reflection of where we鈥檙e at right now, especially education and kids of color in the system,鈥� said Jackie Robinson (no, he said with a smile at the inevitable question, it鈥檚 not a joke). An African-American from nearby Arlington, Mass., Mr. Robinson is friends with Bauerle, and they both attend a group that addresses social justice.

鈥淎 lot of materials we use to have these discussions are kind of dated, and this is something that鈥檚 actually happening now and it鈥檚 affecting our kids,鈥� Robinson added.

Bauerle hopes to persuade some members of the Belmont school committee to watch the series. But her friend, Jill Clark, said there is some resistance to these conversations聽in well-resourced communities, because people often 鈥減retend that our students of color are just going to act like our white students [and that] we鈥檙e at a level playing field, but that鈥檚 not true.鈥�

The documentary doesn鈥檛 demonize anyone, but it brings up what can sometimes happen when schools don鈥檛 give staff adequate support.

Educators need 鈥渉elpful professional development,鈥� said Jessica Tang, president of the Boston Teachers Union, during the panel discussion. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 just say, 鈥楾alk about race in class.鈥� That can do more damage than good鈥� if not done well.

Kendale McCoy, a senior at OPRF when filming took place in 2015-16, came to Boston for the screening. While he experienced plenty of bias, he also credits his white English teacher for being fair and giving him a 鈥渟econd chance鈥� when he was going through some struggles.

Since the film came out, 鈥減eople are starting to maybe open their minds a little bit鈥� to recognize racial bias at the school, he said.

Starz Entertainment

In the 'America to Me' documentary, Kendale McCoy (c.) describes how he has two sets of friends: one from marching band, which is mostly white, and one from the wrestling team, where more students are black. Attending a mostly white college this year, Mr. McCoy is facing new challenges around race.

Now a junior at Cornell College in Iowa, Mr. McCoy plans to become a teacher. 鈥淚 knew how I wanted to be treated in high school, and I didn鈥檛 really get that all the time,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 big thing is holding all students to the same standard and treating them with respect.鈥�

Training before talking聽

The Saturday after the screening, Bauerle and about 60 other watch leaders showed up at the Boston Foundation聽for a four-hour training session, to prepare for leading discussions in the coming weeks. Darnisa Amante, co-founder and executive director of the Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), promptly dove into the history of how education has sorted people in a way that reinforces inequities.

As they turned to understanding their biases and how these can affect other people, Dr. Amante spoke about her experience as a black woman who has a doctorate and wears her that reach her waist 鈥� and how often people marginalize her by playing with her hair or commenting on how 鈥渁rticulate鈥� she is.

Participants in small groups reflected on their biases. Carlos Sanchez, a Boston City Year corps member, said he found it 鈥渁mazing to have a moment to sit with and to be able to start thinking about how to address and understand any implicit and internal biases that I might have.鈥�

The training was designed to challenge people, not to make them feel guilty.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about blame,鈥� Amante says in an interview. But 鈥渨e do have to name that there is a whole system that creates inequity ... [and name] what part of that system we鈥檝e embodied unknowingly -- the assumptions we make, which students we think will be successful.鈥�

For Boston, this new round of conversations, she says, 鈥渁llows us to be hopeful.鈥�

鈥淎merica to Me鈥� Real Talk screening events will be happening next in Los Angeles (Sept. 23); Washington (Sept. 27); Dallas (Oct. 3); Charlotte, N.C. (Oct. 10); Oakland, Calif., (Oct. 18); and Chicago (Oct. 25)

This is story is part of an occasional series,聽Learning Together, on聽efforts to address segregation.听