Talk and Film Explore Black History Month

Professor Holly McGee

Holly McGee, Assistant Professor of History at UC’s main campus, presented a special lecture at UCBA last week called “The Black Man’s Burden: Freedom, Citizenship, and Rhetorical Progress in a Post-Radical America.” 

In this presentation she went over a brief history of Black History Month and why it was created.  At the end she opened the lecture up for discussion about the month.

McGee’s presentation first noted that Black History Month started originally as ‘Negro History Week’ in 1926.  “It was created as a way to expose the main public with a more positive image of the black community,” she said.  

She then went into the details of the historical context of why it was created, including the popularity of the 1915 film “Birth of a Nation,” which had Klansmen as heroes and a very negative portrayal of black people. 

Around the end of the presentation, McGee then brought up how in this day and age many members of the African-American community don’t like the idea of Black History Month.  

She played clips from the documentary “More Than a Month,” in which the film’s director, Shukree Tilghman, went around proposing the idea of ending the month and even including the clip of Morgan Freeman saying that it shouldn’t just be a month and that Black History should be acknowledged throughout the year. 

The presentation also brought up how, while Black History Month has had its benefits, it does have its shortcomings.  “In a way this month has become just a parade of pointing out a group of mostly dead black men and women,” said McGee, focusing on how for most part the month highlights the same group of notable African-American people, including Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks. 

She ended the lecture with her own thoughts on keeping the month by pointing out crime, financial and other figures involving the African-American community and pointed out recent events, including the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Missouri.

McGee said at the end, “I certainly hope that this discussion continues.”