Black History Month at City College Highlights “Black Resistance”
By Gracia Hernandez Rovelo
ghern140@mail.ccsf.edu
In honor of Black History month, City College will host special events throughout February, as it has done for many years prior.
Starting Feb. 1st, the college community is invited to partake in the yearly remembrance of Black History. During the first week of the month, there will be a series of high-quality film screenings, presented by the Rosenberg Library, that speak to the resistance and emancipation of Black people in the Americas.
“Quilombo,” an independent film that takes place in northeast Brazil, narrates the journey of a group of enslaved black Brazilians from Palmares led by their Chief Ganga Zumba to form self-governing communities. Michele McKenzie, a media librarian at City College, explains, “this film brings in the stories of black Brazilians and the experience of black people in Latin America. I included a few books that give more information about the struggle of Afro Brazilians and Black Brazilians that tell a little bit more of Africans in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is important for people to understand that connection,” said McKenzie.
Among other great picks, the library will be showing “How it feels To Be Free” which features six African American women who are artists and performers.
“This was a film that was made by a Black woman and it’s looking at the intersection of art and Black women entertainers and how they used their art for activism. It’s an interesting way to look at Black resistance through these women and their art,” said McKenzie.
Another film put on by the Rosenberg library related to the Black arts movement in the 60’s is “BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez.” This is a film presented in seventeen segments, showcasing the life and work of the poet, educator and activist, Sonia Sanchez.
“W.E.B Dubois: A Biography in Four Voices” will also be shown in honor of the life of Dr. William Edward Burghardt (W.E.B) Dubois, who lived from 1868 to 1963. The film highlights his contributions to the empowerment of African Americans as well as his legacy.
The theme for Black History month this year at City College is “Black Resistance,” which explains the choice in available film screenings. “Films and programs are taking you through this journey through African American history and giving you samples of different types of resistance from the arts, through intellectual and actual physical fighting of colonists,” said McKenzie.
Dorian A. Brown, Chair of the African American Studies Department, said City College’s Black History month events help us “look at things from different perspectives,” he said. “I am excited about all the events and films in the calendar, they all have something to contribute, they involve a lot of different subjects in chronological order, including the history of African American music and culture, and women in hip-hop,” said Brown.
City College Calendar of Events for Black History Month: Credit to Dorian A. Brown, Chair of the African American Studies Department
“The opposite of love is not hate; the opposite of love is indifference,” said American actress and activist, Beah Richards in “Beah: A Black Woman Speaks (2004)”.
City College encourages participation in the events put together to inspire, honor and celebrate Black History. Watch films presented by the Rosenberg library via Zoom, here: https://library.ccsf.edu/aahm/streaming
The calendar also provides a selection of hybrid events and off-campus community events involving nationwide exhibitors.