Atlanta ONE hosted a presentation of the Youssou N’Dour documentary “I Bring What I Love” this past Saturday night in Atlanta. “I Bring What I Love” presents a snapshot portrayal of Youssou N’Dour, an African pop musician from Senegal and his struggles surrounding the release of an album of religious music. While the album was lauded around the world, it wasn’t welcome among his own people. N’Dour stayed committed to his music though, and eventually the people came to embrace it.

Sarah Price, one of the producers of the film, stopped by the table before the screening to discuss how we could make sure everyone in the audience felt connected to ONE. After the screening, Sarah conducted a brief Q & A where she was peppered with questions from the crowd. She was eloquent, insightful, and encouraged everyone to make sure they became a part of ONE. I was happy to man the table and help people learn more about how they can play a role in ending extreme poverty. It was a convergence of the two things I feel most passionate about in life: fighting poverty and making movies that matter.

N’Dour’s religious commitment and fervor serve as a great reminder of how people of all faiths can find solidarity around the issues connected to extreme poverty. The documentary, which attracted a very diverse audience, provided the perfect opportunity to begin a dialogue with people around those issues. While many in the audience may have been divided by age, ethnicity or religious background, all could come together as ONE around the idea of ending the gross injustice of extreme poverty.

-Angela Harvey, Atlanta ONE member