Thurgood Marshall and a landmark case, black representation in Hollywood and Detroit’s turbulent summer of ’67 are some of the topics tackled in a series of films to be screened free to the public by the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library during Black History Month. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated February as an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and their role in the country’s history.
Library Coordinator of Circulation, Wil’Lani Turner, selected films for the series, which opened Thursday.
“We try to pick movies that are related to current events and that are thought-provoking,” Turner said. “All showings will be held at the library in the meeting room. They are free and open to the public, and we will serve light refreshments.”
Film titles, dates, times and brief synopses include:
“Detroit”
On Saturday, Feb. 17 from 1-3 p.m., “Detroit” (2017, rated R) explores the rioting and civil unrest of the summer of 1967. A report of gunshots prompts the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police and the Michigan Army National Guard to search and seize an annex of the Algiers Motel. Several policemen start to flout procedure by forcefully interrogating guests to get a confession. By the end of the night, three unarmed men are gunned down while several others are beaten.
“I Am Not Your Negro”
To screen Thursday, Feb. 22 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., in “I Am Not Your Negro” (2016, PG-13), filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, “Remember This House.” The result is a radical, up-to-the-minute examination of race in America, using Baldwin’s original words and rich archival material.
The documentary film is a journey into black history that connects the past of the civil rights movement to the present of #BlackLivesMatter. It questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond and confronts connections between the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.
“Marshall”
On Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., see “Marshall” (2017, PG-13), a biographical legal drama based on the true story of future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and one of the most significant cases of his life.
It follows the young lawyer (Chadwick Boseman) to conservative Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur (Sterling K. Brown) charged with sexual assault and attempted murder of his white socialite employer (Kate Hudson). Marshall partners with a young Jewish lawyer (Josh Gad), and together they mount the defense in an environment of racism and anti-Semitism.
The library is located at 314 Seventh St. N. For more information, call 662-329-5300.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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