Bless the Screen, a new series designed to unite students and communities through films illuminating the Black experience and telling stories that matter, will debut Wednesday, Philander Smith College and Arkansas PBS have announced.
The inaugural event will feature "Becoming Frederick Douglass" at 6:30 p.m. at the Myer Titus Academic Center, Suite 107, 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, Little Rock.
Bless the Screen is a takeoff of the title of the college's lecture series Bless the Mic.
Each Bless the Screen event will feature a historical or contemporary film, with time for dialogue, reflection and the opportunity to explore issues relevant to the world today, the historically Black college said in a news release.
"Becoming Frederick Douglass," a co-production of Firelight Films and Maryland Public Television, explores the story of how a man born into slavery transformed himself into one of the most prominent statesmen and influential voices for democracy in American history.
The Bless the Screen series is free and open to the public. Each event starts at 6:30 p.m.
The series will continue in January and feature the following films:
• Jan. 18: "The U.S. and the Holocaust" (International Holocaust Remembrance).
• Feb. 1: "Making Black America," Hour 1 (Black History Month).
• Feb. 8: "Making Black America," Hour 2 (Black History Month).
• Feb. 15: "Making Black America," Hour 3 (Black History Month).
• Feb. 22: "Making Black America," Hour 4 (Black History Month).
• March 15: "Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom" (Women's History Month).
• Date to be determined: "Dream Land: Little Rock's West 9th Street."
Updates and additional information will be available at myarkansaspbs.org/events.