Documentary on history of the black press to screen, Friday
The award-winning documentary, “The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords,” which chronicles the little-known history, accomplishments and influence of the black press in the United States, will be screened at the National Press Club at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28.
The compelling film premiered on PBS in 1999 and was showcased by NPR during the March on Washington Film Festival. The showing in the Cosgrove Lounge is sponsored by the Club's Events Team.
The event is free to Club members and their guests, who must be registered by the member. Register online. Start the evening at Taco Night in the Reliable Source restaurant, which begins at 5:30 p.m. The Cosgrove Lounge will open at 6:15. The documentary film runs for 90 minutes.
It was in 1827 that a group of black writers and journalists in New York created the nation’s first black-owned and operated newspaper, Freedom’s Journal. The Journal published with this statement on March 16, 1827: “We wish to plead our own cause. Too long have others spoken for us. From the press and the pulpit we have suffered much by being incorrectly represented. “
More than 30-black- owned papers appeared in northern states before the Civil War, and more than 1,100 were set up during the latter part of the 19th Century. Since that beginning, black newspapers have reported the most detailed record of African American life.
The film includes archival footage and photographs as well as interviews with several key reporters, publishers and photojournalists. It is narrated by stage, screen and television actor Joe Morton with music provided by Grammy award-winning jazz artist Ron Carter. The director is Stanley Earl Nelson Jr., a MacArthur "genius" fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African American history and experiences.
A Club book event in 2011 featured the New York Times bestseller, “News for All the People: The Epic Story of Race and the American Media,” by Juan Gonzales and Joseph Torres, which details how racial segregation has distorted the information Americans received from mainstream media.
For more information about the event, please email Aileen Schlef at [email protected].