This is some selection of movies relevant to African American history.
The Great White Hope (1970): This film focuses on the life of boxer Jack Jefferson in the early part of the 20th Century (based on the life of real boxer Jack Johnson). He is the first black heavy weight champ, so he's constantly confronted with the racism and hatred of early and mid-century white America.
The accompanying questions provided herein offer parents and students an opportunity to reflect upon and discuss the historical and contemporary issues the film addresses including racism, discrimination and more.
In the Heat of the Night (1967): This murder mystery tells the story of a black man and a white man, both police officers, who must learn to trust one another in the racially divided south. The accompanying questions provided herein offer parents and students an opportunity to reflect upon and discuss the historical and contemporary issues the film addresses including racism and more.
Africans in America: America's journey through slavery. Destined to become THE primary resource for many history classes, this video tells the story of Africans in America in a way which is both personal and powerful, beginning in Africa during Pre-colonial times, and ending with the Civil War. I thought I knew about Africans in America, but around every corner I was thinking, "I never knew that!" Though scholarly and artistic, it also had me reduced to tears at many points.
Daughters of the Dust: Written, directed and produced by Julie Dash. A visual feast, this film defies traditional film narrative style to take the viewer into another time, place and culture. The time is 1902, the place is the Georgia Sea Islands where the Gullah people, descendents of slaves, have lived in relative isolation and therefore developed a rich culture deeply rooted in Africa.
Some members of a large family are preparing to leave for the north. This film is for advanced students, and should not be shown without some preparation. I recommend you first visit the Daughters of the Dust Project created by students at The College of New Jersey.
But some of the movies made on African American history depict inaccurate history. Even a more recent film like "Glory" (1989), which is far better intentioned in its depiction of African Americans, "is pretty inaccurate historically," Turner says. "The [Civil War] movie ends up being about the colonel, the white man, rather than about the African-American soldiers.
Certainly, the legacy of such famous films as "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) and "Gone with the Wind" (1939) was to give the public a distorted view of slavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction while offering portrayals of African Americans that were either virulently hateful or condescending.
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