Documentary celebrates Black History

The University held its first event for Black History month with a screening of the documentary The Murder of Emmett Till on Feb. 3. The documentary tells the story about the death of Emmett Till and the start of the Civil Rights movement.

Till was a 14–year–old boy who had allegedly whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, while he was visiting family in Mississippi. Later that night, Till was abducted from his bed and killed by Roy Bryant, Carolyn Bryant's husband and J.W. Milami. Three days later, Till was found at the bottom of the Tallahatchie River because his body had been weighed down by a gin fan tied around his neck with barbed wire.

The trial that followed Till's death was a showcase of white supremacy that led to the release of Till's murders. At the time, southern whites were surprised with the national anger of Till's death because they were under the impression that African Americans were "happy with order of things." The documentary also showed pictures of Till's gruesome murder where his face badly beaten.

This particular documentary was chosen because the story of Till's death is considered the spark that ignited the Civil Rights movement. A month after Till's murder, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat and the Montgomery Bus boycott took place.

The documentary had interviews with those involved in the Till trial including reporters, protestors and Till's family members. Those interviewed expressed that Till's murder created an atmosphere of fear and rage in the Black community.

A discussion was held after the documentary for students to comment on the film and share their thoughts on race relations at the University and in New York City. Political Science professor Dr. Christopher Malone led the discussion. Dr. Malone asked the students in attendance if they thought if racism was an issue of the past.

The general opinion of the audience was that while as a country we no longer have to face issues like segregation, there are still social stigmas between races.

One audience member stated that when he visited his family in the south he did notice that there was a noticeable tension towards interracial couples. Another student from South Africa shared her initial surprise at how Americans self segregate their own social circles.

In response, Dr. Malone admitted, "We like to think differently, but most of the time America is like a mosaic rather than a melting pot. We have sections of different people, not a mix."

The Civil Rights movement may have seemed like a lifetime ago, but the documentary shows firsthand accounts of Till's murder from his mother Mamie Till, showing that there are still people that remember a time in America when they were considered second class citizens. In addition to racial relations, the event discussion addressed other topics like the role of the media influence in society and ideas of race masculinity.

The event was held by the Center for Community Action and Research (CCAR). The decision to hold events for Black History Month was a response to the lack of events last year according to Jessica Anderson, the program coordinator for the event.

When asked if she was satisfied with the amount of events this year, Anderson said, "Having more focus for Black History Month would be nice. We chose to show a documentary because we wanted something accessible for the students and staff. "

Anderson added, "I hope what students take away from the discussion is that issues like race are complex issues. It's just not racism itself. It's about who can speak and who can't."

The screening is part of a series by the program called Common Hour Convo. Common Hour Convo was created by CCAR to hold events concerning a wide range of topics. The aim is to educate the University community about social issues.