More Than a Month

Shukree Hassan Tilghman is a young filmmaker on a quixotic quest to end Black History Month, which in recent decades has been recognized and celebrated each February in schools, libraries, and government offices. As Tilghman sees it, this tribute has become a routine recognition of a few figures—notably Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass—who are highlighted in February, and then marginalized the rest of the year. Tilgman's PBS-aired Independent Lens documentary poses the pointed question: can black history be confined to just one month of coverage? Armed with a petition and a sandwich-board sign, Tilghman goes to Manhattan's Times Square, where he obtains some signatures…and a lot of quizzical stares. Many express the fear that without Black History Month, the contributions of African Americans would be ignored. Tilghman traces the observance back to 1926, where it started as a week-long celebration started by Carter G. Woodson. The filmmaker interviews members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, visits the largest black-owned ad agency in America, commissions a Harvard University survey on the lasting effects of these celebrations on black pride, and seeks insights from both scholars and storytellers. Tilghman concludes that "history is about power... power to control the story." Not surprisingly, he argues that we need to step beyond Black History Month, "not end, but transcend…” in a quest to discover the "lost, hidden, ignored" legacy of African-American history. An instructive, entertaining documentary about ethnic pride that should provoke lively debate, this is recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (S. Rees)