by Mark Schaaf
Daily Lobo
One of the first African-American actresses to break through to the mainstream - Beah Richards - was also a political activist who championed for civil and women's rights.
Her story and the stories of other influential African-American women are the subject of the Women's Resource Center's monthlong film series celebrating Black History Month.
The films are shown at noon every Friday this month at the WRC Group Room. The series began Friday with "Beah: A Black Woman Speaks," a 90-minute documentary directed by actress Lisa Gay Hamilton.
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Though only one person showed up to view the film, the series has gathered overflow crowds in the past, said Sandrea Gonzales, director of the Women's Resource Center.
"Sometimes we have two people; sometimes the room is so full we have to have a second showing," Gonzales said, adding it can be difficult for some to attend over the lunch hour.
On Friday, the Women's Resource Center will show "Chisholm '72: Unbought and Unbossed," which tells the story of Shirley Chisholm's 1972 presidential run. Chisholm was the first African-American woman to make a serious run for president.
Other films to be shown this month are the Civil Rights Movement film "Standing on my Sister's Shoulders," and "Guts, Gumption, and Go-Ahead," which details the life of author Annie Mae Hunt.
Senior Juliana Chavez said African-American women have played a vital role in pushing women and racial issues and pointed to Oprah Winfrey as a modern example.
"In general, I think it is helpful for everyone to learn about different cultures," she said. "We are on the path toward equality, and I think a bit of education goes a long way."
The film series comes on the heels of the recent deaths of two civil rights pioneers - Rosa Parks, who died in November, and Coretta Scott King, who died Jan. 30.
The Women's Resource Center, which Gonzales said stands as one of the country's oldest women's centers at 34 years old, will also co-sponsor a panel featuring women who were early members of the Black Panther Party on Feb. 18.
"We're dedicated to covering issues on race, class, homophobia, issues of equality - so anytime we can, we make our programming fit what's happening during that month," Gonzales said.
Gonzales said she is anticipating a high turnout for the panel, with more than 100 people attending.
Freshman James Sturgis said events like the panel are important in remembering the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
"Black people in our country have been through a wild ride in our history," he said. "If there's one good thing about Black History Month, it's remembering the past so we don't make the same mistakes in the future, as far as discrimination goes."
Black History Month began as "Negro History Week" in 1926, which was launched by activist Carter G. Woodson. February was chosen because it marks the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, but it is also significant in other ways. Among other landmark moments in African-American history, the month marks the anniversaries of the passage of the 15th Amendment, giving African-Americans the right to vote, the founding of the NAACP and the death of Malcolm X.
