| Remembering Harold WashingtonFilm Screening & Discussion
Where: Black Cinema House, 7200 S. Kimbark
When: Sunday, February 1, 2pm
How much: Free admission, RSVP to secure a seat
This screening gathers three radically different locally made films about the first black mayor of Chicago, surveying his tenure as mayor and his fight to change the way the city was governed. Running with the Mayor (Community TV Network, 1984, 12 min., DVD), created by Hispanic students of Chicago’s Community TV Network, follows Washington on the campaign trail and asks whether Washington will be a force for change for Hispanic as well as African American residents. Why Get Involved (Jean Young, 1983, 30 min., DVD), shot on election night at the party where Washington and his supporters anxiously awaited the results, is a star-studded who’s-who of African American celebrities and power brokers, including Bill Cosby, Jesse Jackson, and Ben Vereen; the film asks these and other supporters why regular Chicagoans should get involved in Washington’s crusade. Finally, a lengthy excerpt from Chicago Politics: A Theatre of Power (Bill Stamets, 1987, 40 min. excerpt of 90 min. film) examines the two elections that Washington won, capturing Washington’s unforgettable way with words, the racism with which many whites greeted his campaigns and victories, and Washington’s efforts to transform Chicago.
In conversation: Javier Vargas, who worked on Running with the Mayor as a student; Bill Stamets, the director of Chicago Politics: A Theatre of Power; and others to be determined.
More info at Black Cinema House. |
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