By Caleigh Bartash
The University of Maryland’s anti-racist coalition, Black Terps Matter, brought diverse film representation and the Washington-area college community together in College Park Saturday evening with its first Black Film Night.
While snacking on theater-style candy and chips, attendees from UMD and other local universities sat down on socially distanced blankets from thrift store Value Village for a showing of the 1978 musical film “The Wiz” at Old Town Park.
Event organizer and Black Terps Matter member Sidney Richards said the inspiration for the film night came from residence hall events she had experienced before. Richards, a senior animal science student, said it had been hard for Black students to have a say in choosing films before at similar events.
“I suggested ‘The Wiz’ because it’s a movie close to my heart,” she said. “And since nobody else knew what it was, it was instantly shot down and we watched ‘The Parent Trap’ for like the third time. We often couldn’t watch the films we wanted to watch because nobody knew what they were and since they didn’t know what they were, they were not welcoming to watching it.”
Although the organizers initially aimed to host the event on the UMD campus for accessibility, Richards said they decided to bring the film night off campus after encountering various roadblocks.
One block involved the office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy, or MICA. Richards said she applied for a MICA grant over the summer to purchase materials for the event, including a projector and a screen, but she never heard back. Instead, a Black Terps Matter organizer spent her own money on the technology.
Richards said she later messaged MICA with a flyer for the event through Instagram and did not receive a response there either. In her initial application, she mentioned multiple films, such as “Crooklyn,” “Dreamgirls” and “Homecoming” in hopes that the event would become a series.
“The goal overall is to just celebrate Black culture in films and let people know there are predominantly African American film productions that aren’t based in slavery that are enjoyable films that you can also relate to and you can also enjoy,” Richards said.
Richards estimated that around 15 people showed up to the event, including a professor and students from UMD and nearby colleges like Howard University.
Aniyah Vines, a junior political science student at Howard, said she decided to attend the event after connecting with Black Terps Matter organizer Saba Tshibaka over an upcoming social justice initiative called Tent City.
Vines said she was impressed by the way “The Wiz” managed to include relevant political themes despite having a younger audience in mind, but what she most enjoyed was seeing the community come together.
“I think my favorite part was looking around and seeing different generations. There were students there, but there were also older folks out there that came out to support. And us coming together and watching the film — I think the energy that it brought was wonderful,” said Vines, Howard’s NAACP president.
The digital flyer for Black Film Night advertised a voter registration booth, which was sponsored by an organization called The Palm Collective. Kevin Cramer, a graduate of Marymount University and co-founder of The Palm Collective attended the film night as well.
Cramer described The Palm Collective as “a grassroots organization that focuses on the collective action of the Black Lives Matter movement through abolition to create everlasting change.” Like Vines, he said he came to the film night after meeting Tshibaka while planning for Tent City.
Cramer said he thought the film night was a great representation of collective action and “so much fun.” But he had thoughts on the film choice.
“So ‘The Wiz’ was cute, but it is Halloween. But it’s also right in the middle of a movement so I understand why showcasing Black culture is important. But I love me a good slasher movie,” he said.
Even though the off-campus location may have limited turnout, Richards said she thought the event was a success. Cramer and Vines both said they would come to another film night, too. If it becomes a series as Richards plans and another movie is shown, they each said they would invite people to come with them.
After spending time with UMD students during the film night and hearing about their struggles, Vines had a message for students who feel discouraged, whether they attend a predominantly white institution like UMD or a historically Black college or university like Howard.
“I just think it’s very imperative that students, no matter if they’re at HBCUs or PWIs, that their voices are heard. And my heart is with my brothers and sisters who are at schools that don’t see them as valuable,” Vines said. “I definitely want to say to anyone who goes to a PWI and is fighting to advocate for social justice to keep on keeping on and reach out to students at HBCUs and see how we can help. So there are plenty of avenues to use. And we’re all connected in some way.”
Featured Photo: Black Film Night attendees watched “The Wiz” at Old Town Park on Saturday, October 10.
Courtesy of Saba Tshibaka