In Celebration of Black History Month the East Side Freedom Library Invites You To The Second Film In Our Black History Month Series

African American history shows us that words and images have power. In this feature film, The Watermelon Woman, stereotypes and representations are contested in the present, as well as the past. The central character in this film is a young black lesbian filmmaker who is working in a video store to pay the rent. She tries to make a film about a 1930s actress whose career was limited to playing “mammy” roles. Praised for its humor and creativity, The Watermelon Woman was also criticized by the congressional committee which attacked the National Endowment for the Arts in the mid-1990s. Join us not only to watch this important film but also to engage in conversation with scholar/activist Freda Fair, who is completing her Ph.D in Women’s Studies and African American Studies at UCLA.