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Let’s Have A Conversation About Black History Month [Post a Comment]
Okay, February is many things. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a day for all the lovers out there. February also has President’s Day. However, February is also Black History Month (or, to use the alternate name, African American History Month). February is also the shortest month of the year with only 28 days (29 days on leap years which, generally, is every four years). Since it is Black History Month, that means all of the Black-oriented specials are out in force — music, movies, sports, and so forth. What do you think about that?
Now don’t get me wrong — I do enjoy watching the blaxploitation movies. Shaft (the original movies with Richard Roundtree from the seventies), Hammer, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and so forth. I also enjoy watching the music documentaries (I just finished recording the 2004 documentary Miles Electric on the Ovation channel, in fact).
VH1 and the Ovation channels, in particular, are going out of their respective ways to dig up a month’s worth of Black-oriented specials for the occasion. However, it seems that many of these documentaries and specials and movies are primarily only shown once a year — namely, during BLack History Month.
How often does TV One show the old eighties TV series A Man Called Hawk, the Avery Brooks spinoff from the series Spenser For Hire? How often do you see such music documentaries as the aforementioned Miles Davis special on TV other than during Black History Month?
It’s almost like a token part of the year is dedicated to the best (or, in the case of some blaxploitation movies, the comedic worst) of Black music, cinema, sports, and general history while the rest of the year is hit or miss. Of course, let’s not forget the fact that February is the shortest month of the year.
What are your thoughts about the tokenism of the airing of such specials on channels like VH1? Or do you not see it as tokenism? Or do you simply not care one way or the other?
Okay, February is many things. Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, a day for all the lovers out there. February also has President’s Day. However, February is also Black History Month (or, to use the alternate name, African American History Month). February is also the shortest month of the year with only 28 days (29 days on leap years which, generally, is every four years). Since it is Black History Month, that means all of the Black-oriented specials are out in force — music, movies, sports, and so forth. What do you think about that?
Now don’t get me wrong — I do enjoy watching the blaxploitation movies. Shaft (the original movies with Richard Roundtree from the seventies), Hammer, Coffy, Foxy Brown, and so forth. I also enjoy watching the music documentaries (I just finished recording the 2004 documentary Miles Electric on the Ovation channel, in fact).
VH1 and the Ovation channels, in particular, are going out of their respective ways to dig up a month’s worth of Black-oriented specials for the occasion. However, it seems that many of these documentaries and specials and movies are primarily only shown once a year — namely, during BLack History Month.
How often does TV One show the old eighties TV series A Man Called Hawk, the Avery Brooks spinoff from the series Spenser For Hire? How often do you see such music documentaries as the aforementioned Miles Davis special on TV other than during Black History Month?
It’s almost like a token part of the year is dedicated to the best (or, in the case of some blaxploitation movies, the comedic worst) of Black music, cinema, sports, and general history while the rest of the year is hit or miss. Of course, let’s not forget the fact that February is the shortest month of the year.
What are your thoughts about the tokenism of the airing of such specials on channels like VH1? Or do you not see it as tokenism? Or do you simply not care one way or the other?
Posted by T-Mad on 02/13/2010 at 8:22 PM
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