The African-American studies department will hold a symposium aimed at breaking stereotypes of blacks in film, music and media.
The Black Images in the Media Symposium and Arts Festival is the first of its kind at UH. It was conceived because of ‘recent controversy involving racially insensitive statements by Keith Richards and Don Imus,’ according to the event information flier.
Dr. Franklin Anderson, instructor of the African-American Experience through Film course and director of the event, said everyone should be involved in ending the perpetuation of negative stereotypes, regardless of race or culture.
‘We wanted to do the symposium partly to engage in dialogue about these issues,’ Anderson said. ‘At the time (the statements were made) the media seemed to imply that the hip-hop industry was in some way responsible for their statements because those terms are loosely used (within those communities). But each individual has to be held accountable for their own behavior.’
Franklin said responsibility to change media perceptions of African-American culture lies within the race itself, and the symposium is a chance for open dialogue about the subject.
‘We have to take on a primary responsibility,’ Franklin said. ‘No one knows us any better than us in terms of what the black experience is about.’
The symposium will feature discussion about African-Americans in film, on stage and in music, along with workshops aimed for those working in media-related industries.
‘We have four major workshop areas,’ Franklin said. ‘One will cover breaking into the music industry. For that workshop, we have Andres Adams from the group Soul Fruit.’
Artistic director for the Ensemble Theatre, Eileen Morris, will hold a workshop titled ‘Strategies to Preserve Stage Theater.’
A film panel will lead the Independent Film Production 101 workshop and The Business of Entertainment workshop will feature Houston-based entertainment lawyer Ricky Anderson. His list of clients includes comedian Steve Harvey and rapper Ludacris.
Film panel participant, filmmaker Cheryle R. Reynolds will be hosting a casting call directly following the panel.
‘She’s also producing a reality TV show called America’s Top Graphic Designer,’ Franklin said.
The film portion of the event will begin at 11:00 a.m. Thursday at University Hilton.
‘We’ll have music videos, shorts – which are films less than 30 minutes – feature films and documentaries,’ Franklin said. ‘The most significant piece will be a 22-minute film Warrior Queen by Hezekiah Lewis. It’s based on the true story of a Ghanaian woman who led an uprising against the British in the early 1900s.’
The event will officially kick off at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Shrine of the Black Madonna bookstore and Cultural Center with a networking reception social.
Those attending the symposium will be able to attend various events around Houston, including a networking happy hour Thursday at Red Cat Jazz Caf’eacute; and Ensemble Theatre’s production of the play Constant Star at 8 p.m. Thursday.
While the symposium and four workshops are free, other events – such as the opening reception – will require tickets. A one-day film festival pass can be purchased for $10 and a two-day film festival pass is available for $15. A VIP Pass, which will provide admission to all events, can be purchased for $100.
For a complete list of ticket prices and more information about the list of events, visit http://www.class.uh.edu/aas/newsandevents.asp.
‘
