City College will host a film screening in commemoration of Black History Month
San Diego City College will host the second and third part of the film screening of the hit Netflix series.
February 21, 2020
San Diego City College will hold its second and third part of the film screening of the hit Netflix series “When They See Us” in commemoration of Black History Month.
With the support of the UMOJA team and the English, counseling, and communication studies department, City College features the series, which is based on events from the April 19, 1989 Central Park jogger case.
“It’s about the exonerated five black males who were taken into custody as minors and questioned without an adult present and ended up confessing to a beating and rape of a white woman in Central Park,” English professor and UMOJA advisor Ebony Tyree said. “They were innocent.”
This film’s screening will be held in AH-306 on Friday, Feb. 21, from 5 – 9 p.m. Two parts will be shown in one screening due to campus being closed the previous Friday.
“It’s is a time set aside to celebrate black excellence and to celebrate the folks in our history that paved the way for the many opportunities that we have now,” Tyree said. “It is a celebration for those who are our ancestors, and also those currently living, in making strides for black folks here.
“It’s a college campus where education happens. It’s a place for us to facilitate learning and to engage with one another and so there’s no better place than to celebrate and commemorate.”
The series was chosen by Black History Month Committee Chair Romelia Turner, a City College graduate and an executive assistant for UMOJA. Turner has coordinated and organized Black History Month events on campus with UMOJA for the past three years.
The first screening of the series was facilitated by City Scholars counselor Andre Jones. After the screening, Jones and the attendees had a discussion and students questioned the safety of young black boys all across the state.
“We had a small turn out, but it was successful in the sense that those who were there were supposed to be there,” Tyree said. “It’s just a place for us to discuss these things and try to heal and, for others who are coming who don’t identify as black or African-American, for them to stand in solidarity with the struggle.”
Her hope is for attendees to walk away with “an acknowledgment of black pain and the fear of living in a black body.”
“I want to thank our team and acknowledge those who continue to foster a space for our students to coordinate and lead events like this on campus. It’s always enriching for us as facilitators,” Tyree said.
The campus will hold two more events for the last week of commemoration. The Black History Month finale event will be held on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the MS building rooms 140-162. The fourth and last part of the film screening “When They See Us” will be held next Friday, Feb. 28 from 5 – 8 p.m.
