Center for Community Engagement to Host 'Abraham's Bridge' Film Screening

Wed, 07/01/2026 - 10:15am

The Center for Community Engagement at The University of Southern Mississippi, in partnership with Parkway Heights United Methodist Church and the Listen First Coalition, will host a free screening of the award-winning documentary Abraham's Bridge on Thursday, July 16, as part of the third annual Better Together Film Festival.

The screening will begin at 6 p.m. at Parkway Heights, 2420 Hardy St., Hattiesburg, and will be followed by a facilitated discussion exploring what is lost when communities are divided and how people can work together despite their differences to strengthen their communities. The local theme for Hattiesburg's film and discussion is "Better Together, Despite Ourselves."

Community members are invited to attend the screening and participate in the conversation. Interested individuals can register online to attend.

"It's important to sit across the table from someone who thinks differently and learn a little about why they think that way, rather than assume they are a bad person or that you have nothing in common with them," said Christy Kayser, director of the Southern Miss Center for Community Engagement. "We all wish for our communities to be better places to live and work, but we must consider every person's perspective in order to do that successfully."

Throughout the month of July, in alignment with America's 250th anniversary, community spaces across the country are inviting local audiences to participate in the third annual Better Together Film Festival. The festival aims to shift the culture of the country away from division and toward cohesion and hope.

Abraham's Bridge chronicles the development of the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Neb., where a mosque, synagogue, church and interfaith center were built on 38-acres connected by a circular wooden bridge, a vast donation garden and a quietly disruptive vision. The film follows the initiative from its beginnings in 2005 to the present day as diverse communities work together to construct their dream, confront unanticipated challenges and look towards an uncertain future.

At just 36 minutes in length, the award-winning documentary provides a compelling case study of grassroots interfaith engagement in America and is suitable for all audiences. More information about the film is available at abridgefilm.com.

“Now is a time for Americans to hear, see and experience stories of people coming together across their differences to solve problems together in their neighborhoods and in their communities. As a nation, we must choose curiosity over contempt, dialogue over demonization, and empathy over apathy,” said Karissa Raskin, CEO of Listen First Project. “The Better Together Film Festival offers this opportunity by inspiring strength and sparking conversation among neighbors so we can turn down the heat and find a way forward together.”

The Better Together Film Festival is a campaign of the Listen First Coalition, a network of more than 550 organizations across America working to reduce division and build trust, understanding, belonging and solutions within their communities.