Discussion focuses on impact of black voices in America
Portrayals of African-Americans in media and film haven’t always been kind over the years. And though troubling themes persist, representation of the black experience has evolved since black people began sharing their own stories with the American public.
That evolution was just one of the many topics discussed Monday night at the West Florida Public Library by a panel experts gathered for the presentation “Blacks in Literature & Film: A Frank and Casual Conversation.”
The event was hosted by Mamie Webb Hixon, an assistant professor of English at the University of West Florida, and Robin Reshard, creative director at Robert Robino Productions and the person responsible for the documentary “Belmont-DeVilliers: The Making of a Neighborhood.”
February is Black History Month, and Monday night’s discussion, which drew about 100 people, featured a panel of 18 experts including University of West Florida professors as well as black media members and writers
Panel members passed a microphone back and forth for an hour, discussing topics ranging from television shows such as “The Jeffersons” and “Good Times” to the challenges black people face in today’s society.
“I have to remind people that it’s all right to highlight things just like we highlight cancer awareness or anything else,” Reshard said. “Yes, African Americans do amazing things 365 days a year, but it’s all right to set aside a time to celebrate them. And that’s why we’re doing this in a place where books live and where films reside. We want to talk about the way black people have portrayed through the years.”
The importance of events like Monday’s is to is to widen the scope of understanding about black history and to show that the African-American experience is not any one person’s experience, Hixon said.
“So many people are far removed from African- American literature and African-American history,” said Hixon. “I think having that knowledge would help to erase some of these portrayals that you see today. For so many people, all they know about black people is what they see in entertainment and the media. The lives of black people and white people don’t intersect enough for us to know enough about each other.”
Despite its serious nature, many young people attended Monday night’s discussion. A dozen middle-school aged girls with the African-American sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Emerging Young leaders program were in the crowd Monday. Carla Jones helps manage the organization.
“They haven’t had a lot of experiences yet and haven’t faced a lot of the challenges that they’re going to face,” Jones said. “So they need to know about the kinds of things that are being talked about tonight and start thinking about them.”
A recurring theme Monday, one that all the panelists seem to agree on, was the need for more discussion and events like Monday night’s.
“We still do not engage in authentic cross-cultural, cross-race conversations,” UWF Senior Associate Dean of Students Lusharon Wiley said. “We are so afraid of hurting someone, but maybe if we start engaging authentically, we can move forward.”